Electrolux

This article is about the home appliance manufacturer. For the separated professional appliance manufacturer, seeElectrolux Professional.

Electrolux AB(Swedish:[ɛˈlɛ̂kːtrʊˌlɵks,ɛlɛktrʊˈlɵks]) is aSwedishmultinationalhome appliancemanufacturer, headquartered inStockholm.It is consistently ranked the world's second largest appliance maker by units sold, afterWhirlpool.

Electrolux AB

The Electrolux wordmark and logo, designed byProphetin 2015, incorporates theCarlo Vivarelli-designed symbol from 1961.
Electrolux headquarters in Stockholm
Company type	Publicly tradedaktiebolag
Traded as	Nasdaq Stockholm:ELUX B
ISIN	SE0000103806 SE0000103814
Industry	Home appliances
Founded	1919(1919)
Headquarters	Stockholm,Sweden
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Staffan Bohman(Chairman) Jonas Samuelson(President &CEO)
Products	Major appliancesandsmall appliances
Brands	AEG,Electrolux, Electrolux Grand Cuisine, Electrolux Professional,Frigidaire,Molteni,Westinghouse,Zanussi.
Revenue	134.880 billionkr(2022)
Operating income	–215 million kr (2022)
Net income	–1.320 billion kr (2022)
Total assets	127.102 billion kr (2022)
Total equity	16.449 billion kr (2022)
Owner	Investor AB(16.4%; 28.4% votes)
Number of employees	51,000 (2022)
Website	www.electrolux www.electroluxgroup

Logo and wordmark (1961–2015)

Electrolux products are sold under a variety of brand names (including its own), and are primarilymajor appliancesandvacuum cleanersintended for home consumer use.Electrolux has a primary listing on theStockholm Stock Exchangeand is a constituent of theOMX Stockholm 30index.

History

The Autoluxlamp, a kerosene lamp manufactured by Lux and used in railway stations around the world in the early 20th century

The company originates from a merger of two companies—Lux AB and Svenska Elektron AB, the former an established manufacturer and the latter a younger company founded by a former vacuum salesman who had also been an employee of the former firm.The origins of Electrolux are closely tied to the vacuum, but today it also makes major appliances.

Vacuum cleaner designed byLurelle Guildc. 1937Brooklyn Museum

Electrolux made aninitial public offeringon theLondon Stock Exchangein 1928 (it wasdelistedin 2010)and another on theStockholm Stock Exchangein 1930.

As of 2010its shares trade on the NASDAQ OMX Nordic Market andover-the-counter.Electrolux is anOMX Nordic 40constituent stock.

Sales company to major manufacturer

In 1919, a Svenska Elektron AB acquisition,Elektromekaniska AB, became Elektrolux(the spelling was changed to Electrolux in 1957).It initially sold Lux branded vacuum cleaners in several European countries.

In 1923, the company acquired AB Arctic and subsequently addedabsorption refrigeratorsto its product line.Other appliances soon followed, includingwashing machinesin 1951,dishwashersin 1959,and food service equipment in 1962.

Mergers and acquisitions

The company has often and regularly expanded throughmergers and acquisitions.

While Electrolux had bought several companies before the 1960s, that decade saw the beginnings of a new wave of M&A activity. The company bought ElektroHelios, Norwegian Elektra, Danish Atlas, Finnish Slev, and Flymo, et al., in the nine years from 1960 to 1969.It sold its American subsidiary toConsolidated Foodsand exited the American market in 1968, only returning in 1974 when Electrolux acquiredEureka-WilliamsfromNational Union,one of the oldest names in the vacuum cleaner industry. Electrolux sold its vacuum cleaners using the Eureka brand name in North America until 2004.

This style of growth continued through the 1990s, seeing Electrolux purchase scoresof companies including, for a time,Husqvarna.

Hans Werthén,President and later chairman of the board, led the strategic core of an increasingly decentralized Electrolux—and was instrumental to its rapid growth.

While attempts to cut costs, centralise administration, and wring outeconomies of scalefrom Electrolux's operations were made in the 1960s and 1970swith the focus so firmly on growth,further company-wide restructuring efforts only began in the late 1990s.

2000 to present

In North America, the Electrolux name was long used byvacuum cleanermanufacturerAerus LLC,originally established to sell Swedish Electrolux products. In 2000, Aerus transferred trademark rights back to the Electrolux Group, and ceased using the Electrolux name in 2004.

Conversely, Electrolux-made vacuums carried the Eurekabrand name,which Electrolux continued to use while also selling Electrolux branded vacuums after 2000. Electrolux USA customer service maintains a database of Electrolux made vacuums and provides a link to Aerus's website for the convenience of owners of Electrolux branded Aerus vacuums.

Keith McLoughlin took over as president and CEO on January 1, 2011, and became the company's first non Swedish chief executive.

In August 2011, Electrolux acquired fromSigdo Koppersthe Chilean appliance manufacturer CTI obtaining several brands with the purchase including: Fensa, Gafa, Mademsa and Somela.

On February 6, 2017, Electrolux announced that it had agreed to acquireAnova Applied Electronics, Inc.,the U.S.-based provider of the Anova Precision Cooker.

On March 23, 2020, Electrolux completed thespin-offof its professional division, which the separated company incorporated asElectrolux ProfessionalAB.

In September 2023, it was announced Electrolux has sold its refrigerator manufacturing facility inNyíregyházato theMalmö-headquartered heat pump systems and technology company, Qvantum for €38 million.

Notable products

ElectroluxAssistent,1940

• 1919: The Lux vacuum is the first product Electrolux sells.
• 1925: D, Electrolux's first refrigerator, is anabsorption model.
• 1937: Electrolux model 30 vacuum is unveiled.
• 1940:Assistent(Swedish for assistant), the company's onlywartimeconsumer product,is amixer/food processor.
• 1941: Charlton Automatic rifleElectrolux SMLE Model Lee–EnfieldA replacement of the bren gun for the home guard soldiers, made from out-of-service Lee-Enfields. New Zealander Philip Charlton, a car mechanic, designed the gun in Australia.
• 1951: W 20, Electrolux's first homewashing machine,is manufactured inGothenburg,Sweden.
• 1959: D 10, the company's firstdishwasher,is a counter top model nicknamed "round jar".
• 2001: Launch of theElectrolux Trilobite,a robotic vacuum cleaner.

Brands

An Electrolux canister vacuum cleaner

Electrolux sells under a wide variety of brand names worldwide. Most of them were acquired throughmergers and acquisitionsand only do business in a single country or geographic area.The following is an incomplete list.

Americas

• Anova Applied Electronics, Inc.,provider of the Anova Precision Cooker
• Electrolux ICON, premium consumer appliance brand sold in theUS
• Eureka,Americanconsumer vacuum cleaner brand, Sold to Midea in 2016
• Fensa, Chilean consumer appliance brand, widely available in Latin America.
• Frigidaire,major appliance manufacturer.
• Gafa, Argentinean appliance manufacturer.
• Gibson,refrigerator and air conditioning manufacturer
• Mademsa, Chilean home appliance brand
• Philco,former U.S. consumer electronics and appliance manufacturer for appliances, though brand name is also used separately for electronics byPhilips
• Sanitaire, commercial product division ofEureka
• Somela, Chilean home appliance brand, available throughout Latin America
• Tappan,formerU.S.appliance manufacturer
• Viking Range,major appliance manufacturer.
• White-Westinghouse,formerU.S.appliance manufacturer

Europe

• Arthur Martin
• AEG
• Atlas (Denmark)
• Corberó (Spain)
• Elektro Helios, manufacturer of consumer appliances for theSwedishmarket
• Faure, French consumer appliance maker
• Lehel,consumer appliance brand sold in Hungary and elsewhere. Acquired in 1991, the brand has not been in use since 1999.
• Marynen/Marijnen, consumer product brand sold in the Netherlands
• Parkinson Cowan,cooking appliances (United Kingdom)
• Progress, vacuum cleaner brand sold throughout Europe
• REX-Electrolux,Italianappliance manufacturer
• Rosenlew,Finnish consumer product brand sold inNordic countries
• Samus,Romanianproducer of cooking stoves headquartered inSatu Mare
• Voss, premium consumer cooking appliance and equipment supplier in Denmark and elsewhere
• Zanker, consumer kitchen appliance brand sold incentral Europe
• Zanussi,Italianappliance manufacturer that became part of Electrolux in 1984
• Zanussi Professional, professional kitchen equipment manufacturer
• Zoppas, consumer products brand sold in Italy

Oceania

• Dishlex, a budget friendly dishwasher brand sold in Australia (discontinued in August 2021)
• Kelvinator,an air conditioning and fridge freezer brand sold in Australia, India and elsewhere
• Simpson,previously sold Kitchen and laundry appliances, now they only sell laundry appliances. They are a brand sold in Australia and New Zealand. (discontinued in July 2022)
• Westinghouse, a kitchen and laundry appliance brand in Australia licensed from Westinghouse Electric Corp to Electrolux Home Products Pty Ltd.

Middle East

• King, Israeli kitchen appliance brand made by REX-Electrolux, anItalianElectrolux subsidiary.
• Olympic Group,home appliance brand in Egypt

Global/other

• Arthur Martin-Electrolux
• Beam, Electrolux'scentral vacuumbrand
• Castor
• Chef
• Dito, professional food processing equipment
• Electrolux Professional
• Frigidaire,full range major appliance brand sold globally
• Juno-Electrolux, premium consumer kitchen appliance brand
• Molteni, professionalstoves
• Tornado, vacuum cleaners and other consumer products
• Therma
• Tricity Bendix
• Volta, vacuum cleaner brand sold in Australia, Sweden and elsewhere

Note:This list does not include brands such asKenmore,IKEAandJohn Lewis,which may sell Electrolux produced appliances but are not owned by or affiliated with Electrolux, as Electrolux acts as anOEMfor these brands.

Slogan

The company's international slogan is "Shape living for the better". In the past it was "Thinking of you".

In the 1960s the company successfully marketed vacuums in theUnited Kingdomwith theslogan"Nothing sucks like an Electrolux". In the United States, it was frequently assumed that using this slogan was abrand blunder.In fact, the informal American meaning of the word sucks was already well known at the time in the United Kingdom, and the company hoped the slogan, with its possibledouble entendre,would gain attention.

In Indonesia, the Electrolux previous slogan was "Kalau saja semua seawet Electrolux"(English: If only all are as durable as Electrolux).

See also

• Constructor Group AS,a former Electrolux subsidiarynotinvolved in major appliance manufacture

External links

• Media related toElectrolux (company)at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website
• Official group website
• Official group website North Macedonia
• American Electrolux - The Beginning, and the Early Yearsby Charles Richard Lester
• Macedonia Electrolux - The Beginning, and the Early Yearsby Dimche Palenzo Electrolux