Water and Ice Through the Door of a Bottom Mount Refrigerator

(International Builders' Show) -- Sears, Roebuck and Co. has developed a breakthrough innovation and enhancement to its popular three-door refrigerator. Unveiled today at the International Builders' Show in Orlando, the new Kenmore Elite Trio offers both ice and water through the door -- an engineering feat for a "bottom freezer."

When Sears first introduced the Kenmore Elite Trio refrigerator in 2003, the company saw an overwhelming demand for the three-door, armoire style refrigerator. It was the first time consumers had access to the style of a side-by-side refrigerator combined with the functionality of a bottom-freezer. However, Sears knew one important feature was missing from what consumers came to expect in a typical side-by-side: the ability to get water and ice through the door without opening the refrigerator. It's a feature requested by 90% of consumers who purchase a side-by-side refrigerator -- really a feature expected by most purchasers of high-end refrigerators.

So Sears engineers and the product development team went to work with its manufacturing partner to design a solution. A big step came early in 2004 when Kenmore introduced the Trio with water through the door. That was as easy as running a water line to the door. But getting ice from the Trio's cavernous freezer, located below the refrigeration compartment, was an entirely different challenge. This problem was solved by moving the ice maker to an insulated chamber built into the refrigerator door, and venting cold air from the freezer to this chamber through ducts to freeze the ice.

The new Trio model's facelift also includes a fresh new sophisticated style. From a design standpoint, elegant metal handles have been added; the water and ice dispenser is wrapped in a material that matches its stainless appearance with a cool blue digital display and glass touch control panel.

All these enhancements have been made while maintaining energy efficiency and quiet operation.

The Kenmore Elite Trio with water and ice through the door (model #77562/3/4/9) will be available at Sears stores nationwide and on sears.com in late Spring 2006. The 25 cubic foot model will be regularly priced at $2,699.99. For more information visit http://www.sears.com/ .

News in Bottom Mount Kenmore Refrigerators

Kenmore Elite also introduces an improved bottom freezer 20/22 cubic foot refrigerator with Ion Cooling technology, which freshens the air circulating inside the refrigerator. Ion Cooling uses a special filter that generates ions to reduce unpleasant odors.

The new model includes an UltraIce function that can be activated to produce 33% more ice (6 lbs) than previous models (4.5lbs).

This new Kenmore Elite (model #76082/3/4/9, 76282/3/4/9) will be priced at $1,099 / $1,199 and will be available at Sears stores nationwide and on sears.com in Spring 2006. Consumers will be able to choose from white, black, bisque and stainless steel.

About Sears, Roebuck and Co.

Sears, Roebuck and Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD), is a leading broadline retailer providing merchandise and related services. Sears, Roebuck offers its wide range of home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more than 2,400 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the United States and Canada, which includes approximately 926 full-line and 1,100 specialty stores in the U.S. Sears, Roebuck also offers a variety of merchandise and services through sears.com, landsend.com, and specialty catalogs. Sears, Roebuck offers consumers leading proprietary brands including Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard and Lands' End -- among the most trusted and preferred brands in the U.S. The company is the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 14 million service calls made annually. For more information, visit the Sears, Roebuck website at http://www.sears.com/ or the Sears Holdings Corporation website at http://www.searsholdings.com/ .

SOURCE: Sears, Roebuck and Co.

CONTACT: Larry Costello, Sears PR, +1-847-286-9036 (office) or
+1-847-346-4514 (cell)

Web site: http://www.sears.com/
http://www.searsholdings.com/