core77.com's design blog

I had written about Haier's bid for Maytag earlier this year, but today's news informs us that Whirlpool has won the bid for Maytag. Unlike the Adidas/Reebok merger which allows them enough market share to contend for the number one spot with Nike, Whirlpool is already the nation's number one appliance manufacturer and Maytag, number three.

A Whirlpool-Maytag alliance would command a 48% market share for major appliances, ahead of 26% and 20% for General Electric and Electrolux respectively, according to estimates compiled by Prudential Equity Group.1

Fettig, the Whirlpool CEO, said the combination of Whirlpool and Maytag will create substantial benefits for consumers, trade customers and our shareholders.

"This transaction will enable us to achieve significant efficiencies and better asset utilization. It will also allow us to offer a wider range of products to a much broader consumer base," he said in a statement.2

I wonder what their brand strategy would be after becoming a global behemoth - when a home appliance manufacturer has close to 50% market share, do users really matter?