Appliance purchases likely to remain weak: Whirlpool

摘要

CHICAGO - Whirlpool Corp. forecasts flat to 3-percent growth in North American demand for home appliances during 2012, following a year in which net income fell 37 percent on revenue that inched up 1.6 percent. "As we enter 2012, we are executing strong actions to continue to improve operating margins through our cost and capacity reduction initiatives, ongoing productivity programs and previously announced price increases," chairman and chief executive officer Jeff M. Fettig said in a statement Wednesday.