Sears Enters Into Licensing Agreements For Kenmore® And DieHard® Brands

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Nov. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As Sears continues to forge its future, the company announced it has signed several licensing agreements that will broaden the assortment and reach of its Kenmore and DieHard brands at U.S. retailers.

DrinkPod LLC will manufacture Kenmore water filtration appliances and Gibson Overseas, Inc. will manufacture Kenmore housewares, all of which will be distributed at Sears and other retailers nationwide.

Andrew J. Consulting will market DieHard branded electric vehicle chargers and TRICO Products Corporation will manufacture DieHard wiper blades, fuel pumps and gas assist springs, all of which will be distributed at retailers nationwide.

"The Kenmore brand is one of the most awarded and trusted American brands and is woven into the fabric of our home lifestyle," said Peter Boutros, president of Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard brands at Sears Holdings. "DieHard is America's most trusted and preferred vehicle battery brand. These agreements are examples of our expansion strategy to unleash the power of these iconic brands in exciting new and developing product categories." 

Drinkpod will now manufacture and sell Kenmore branded home water filtration appliances and accessories to retailers in the United States and select countries.  In addition to dispensing water directly, each Kenmore water filtration appliance will have the ability to act as a central hub, providing filtered water to up to two other kitchen appliances, such as coffee makers and refrigerator ice makers. The result is not only in water that is pure and delicious, but ice and coffee as well. Water will be provided at three temperatures - hot, cold, and ambient.

Gibson Overseas Inc. will manufacture Kenmore housewares ranging from cookware and bakeware to dinnerware, silverware, glasses, stemware, ceramic and plastic storage containers, and other utensils.

AJ Consulting Inc. will sell DieHard brand Level II residential electric vehicle (EV) chargers and, eventually, Level II commercial chargers and Level III EV superchargers through national retailers, commercial distributors, housing developments and other landowners in the U.S. The agreement also enables the DieHard EV chargers to be sold throughout North America and in select countries in Europe.

The first phase of this product rollout focuses on the sale of residential EV chargers. Plans also call for the development of a comprehensive charging network and dedicated EV mobile application that will enable EV drivers to initially pinpoint their location and proximity to DieHard EV charging stations, as well as map their route to the closest station. This phase of the rollout includes the sale of subscription-based commercial Level II EV chargers and Level III superchargers, which would be located in public settings such as malls, hospitals and office buildings.

TRICO sells a complete line of DieHard high quality beam, conventional and rear window automotive wiper blades, as well as DieHard fuel pumps and gas assist springs.

Terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Forward-looking statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Whenever used, words such as "will," "expect," and other terms of similar meaning are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements, including these, are based on the current beliefs and expectations of our management and are subject to significant risks, assumptions and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Detailed descriptions of other risks relating to Sears Holdings are discussed in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. While we believe that our forecasts and assumptions are reasonable, we caution that actual results may differ materially. We intend the forward-looking statements to speak only as of the time made and do not undertake to update or revise them as more information becomes available, except as required by law.

About Sears Holdings Corporation
Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD) is a leading integrated retailer focused on seamlessly connecting the digital and physical shopping experiences to serve our members - wherever, whenever and however they want to shop. Sears Holdings is home to Shop Your Way^®, a social shopping platform offering members rewards for shopping at Sears and Kmart as well as with other retail partners across categories important to them. The Company operates through its subsidiaries, including Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Kmart Corporation, with full-line and specialty retail stores across the United States. For more information, visit www.searsholdings.com

About the Kenmore Brand 
The Kenmore Brand is an industry leader in delivering trusted performance in the home with smart and stylish appliance innovations that help consumers do things quicker, easier and better. Recognized as a top appliance brand for over 100 years, the Kenmore brand continues to give consumers more time, efficiency and improved results for better living with industry-leading products across small and large appliance categories. For more information, visit www.kenmore.com, https://www.kenmore.com/press-kit/ or www.facebook.com/kenmore.

About the DieHard Brand
Introduced in 1967, Sears designed the original DieHard automotive battery to produce 35 percent more usable starting power than other similar batteries. Featuring a revolutionary tough, thin-walled case of translucent polypropylene plastic, which was 50 percent thinner than conventional black rubber-type battery enclosures, the design's extra room meant bigger plates, more acid and extra starting power. During testing, not a single failure was reported in over 26,000 starts in temperatures ranging from sub-zero to more than 100 degrees, hence the name "DieHard." See more DieHard history and compelling "Battery Torture" video at www.DieHard.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Larry Costello
Sears PR
(847) 286-9036
Larry.Costello@searshc.com

SOURCE Sears Holdings Corporation