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

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sears Holdings today announced it has signed two licensing agreements that will broaden the reach of its Kenmore and DieHard brands internationally. 

Cleva North America, Inc. will manufacture Kenmore and Kenmore Elite vacuums and accessories for distribution at retailers worldwide. The agreement applies to vacuum cleaners, stick vacuums, hand vacuums, robotic vacuums, carpet cleaners, bare floor cleaners, sweepers and accessories.

Dorcy, International will manufacture DieHard Alkaline batteries and flashlights for distribution in the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Caribbean plus Latin America and some locations in the South Pacific. The agreement renews and expands the existing distribution of these DieHard products and applies to: A, AA, AAA, C, D, 6 volt and 9 volt alkaline specialty batteries, as well as flashlights.

"The Kenmore brand is one of the most awarded and trusted American brands and is woven into the fabric of our home lifestyle," said Tom Park, president of Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard brands at Sears Holdings. "DieHard is America's most trusted, reliable and preferred vehicle battery brand. Both of these agreements are examples of our expansion strategy to unleash the power of these iconic brands internationally. We will have direct and active involvement in building the business with our licensing partners and we're confident that both Cleva and Dorcy will maintain our high quality standards," Park added.

"We are excited about the opportunity to expand the Kenmore line of vacuums to key retailers and continue the legacy of the Kenmore brand," said Bob Davis, president of Cleva North America, Inc. "Cleva is passionate in our commitment to bring top performing, high-quality Kenmore vacuums to the market.  With our ongoing attention to product innovation and consumer focused solutions, Cleva will be adding new products to its current award-winning portfolio of Kenmore vacuum cleaners."

"We are thrilled to be partnering with the DieHard brand to bring this incredible product portfolio to a wider consumer audience," said Tom Beckett, president and CEO of Dorcy International. "Dorcy's global development team is working hard to create new and innovative products in this space that reflect the trust and integrity that have long been associated with the DieHard name."

In other efforts to expand the reach of the Kenmore brand, Sears recently announced the launch of Kenmore products on Amazon.com.  

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, www.cookmore.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.

About Cleva North America, Inc.
Cleva North America, Inc. offers an award-winning portfolio of innovative brands, including Vacmaster Professional®, Vacmaster®, Duravac™, Armor All™ and LawnMaster®. With award-winning, proven experience in engineering and motor technology, Cleva incorporates the latest processes and highest standards for engineering, design, and production. The result is high-quality products with exceptional performance and durability. Cleva takes pride in producing a premium product at a great value. We will continue to usher in new, innovative products designed to meet our customers' needs. For more information on Vacmaster®, visit vacmaster.com; like us on Facebook® (facebook.com/vacmastervacs); or follow us on Twitter® (@vacmastervacs).

About Dorcy International
A Privately held company, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, DORCY has marketed Flashlight products and batteries for over 55 years and is proud to be business partners with many of the world's largest retailers.  DORCY is a global enterprise with sales and marketing offices in Basel, Brisbane, Sydney, Hong Kong, Toronto, and is headquartered in Columbus Ohio.  Dorcy's Competitive Advantages Include: In house design and engineering capability, the widest range of Lighting Products available, speed to market with evolving Market demands – LED, Fashion Trends, Materials and technology. With a complete complimentary Flashlight and Battery Program DORCY has the strongest promotions in the industry. http://www.Dorcy.com.

SOURCE Sears, Roebuck and Co.

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