Corralling The Brands

摘要

Don't be surprised if the features on competing refrigerator brands sound familiar. Although there are dozens of brands, there are but a handful of large manufacturers in the residential-refrigerator business. With multiple brands under single ownership and competitors regularly building specific models marketed under each other's brand names, the lines are blurry and constantly in flux. Add in the manufacturers' tendency to play down the connections, and it's almost impossible for a consumer to keep track. LG, Liebherr, and Samsung are three manufacturers that make their own brands. Others manage several brands under one corporate umbrella. Whirlpool Corporation, for example, developed the Whirlpool and KitchenAid brands, but also owns Admiral, Amana, Jenn-Air, and Maytag. General Electric sells its appliances under five brand names along a wide range of price points: Hotpoint, GE, GE Cafe, GE Profile, and GE Monogram.