Inaugural Kenmore® "Happenings at Home" Survey Reveals Seasonal Flurries Amid Family Festivities

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Dec. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Holiday decorations, meals, gifting and family are top of mind in many households this time of year. Today, the Kenmore® brand, found in the homes of more than 100 million Americans*, released its first, quarterly "Happenings at Home" results that reveal holiday priorities and concerns.

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"Despite holiday stresses of cleaning the house and entertaining guests, Americans aren't losing sight of the true meaning of the holiday season – spending quality time with their families and creating memories," says Michael Castleman, vice president and acting head for Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard brands. "This survey provides a glimpse into what's happening in homes across America and helps Kenmore to create solutions that minimize holiday stress and free our customers to enjoy their holidays even more."

Pleasing the Masses
Satisfying the varied taste buds at the table is a top priority among Americans as main dishes, sides and desserts offer an assortment of flavors. It's more apparent than ever that the "traditional" holiday menu no longer exists with more than 70 percent of Americans noting diversified holiday menus coming to the table. Additionally, nearly half of respondents (48 percent) noted strong concern about preparing a meal that everyone at the table will enjoy.

As kitchen concerns center around the holiday meal, the Kenmore Elite Double Oven Electric Free Standing Rangebrings holiday chefs greater versatility for cooking without compromise. With 42 percent of Americans fearing some items will not make it to the table in time, this oven's unsurpassed capacity** and new configuration offers an innovative solution to ensure cooking flexibility for all menu needs.  It boasts two, 3.5-cubic foot ovens that perform equally and independently to allow multiple main dishes, such as full-sized turkeys or hams, to cook at the same time in separate ovens and at different temperatures for greater cooking convenience and flexibility.

Additional Seasonal Findings
The Kenmore "Happenings at Home" Survey identified the following additional holiday trends in American homes: 

• Quality Time is a Priority: No matter how stressed, 80 percent of Americans leave time to enjoy the season with their family and 62 percent create personal, family traditions to ensure family time and annual memories
• Healthy Meals at the Holidays: Only 28 percent of Americans include healthy meal options at every holiday meal
• Cleaning, Stress Rise Together: A majority of Americans (80 percent) increase household chores during the holidays and 65 percent of those note this causes the most seasonal stress
• Dividing and Conquering Needed on the Home's Front Lines: Only 21 percent of Americans say their families always pitch in to help with chores around the home during the holidays

As hosts prepare the home for family and friends to gather, they can rely on Kenmore as a holiday helper with its innovative cleaning products.  In the laundry room, the Kenmore Elite® Front Load HE Steam Washer and matching Kenmore Elite Steam Dryer deliver technology that produces time, water and energy savings. For added convenience and ease of mind when tackling home cleaning, the Kenmore Progressive canister vacuum's SWIVEL+ STEERING SYSTEM™ provides versatile cleaning performance and flexibility for any room in the home. Certified Asthma and Allergy Friendly™ by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, this bagged vacuum's True HEPA filtration helps keep irritating allergens at bay during the holiday season and year round.

The Kenmore "Happenings at Home" Survey is issued quarterly to a national audience as a means of tracking cultural and societal trends in addition to keeping a pulse on Americans' sentiment towards appliance capabilities overall.  The survey was conducted by Russell Research, an independent research company, in October 2011.

About Sears Holdings Corporation
Sears Holdings Corporation is the nation's fourth largest broadline retailer with over 4,000 full-line and specialty retail stores in the United States and Canada.  Sears Holdings is the leading home appliance retailer as well as a leader in tools, lawn and garden, consumer electronics and automotive repair and maintenance.  Sears Holdings is the 2011 ENERGY STAR® Retail Partner of the Year.  Key proprietary brands include Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard, and a broad apparel offering, including such well-known labels as Lands' End, Jaclyn Smith and Joe Boxer, as well as the Apostrophe and Covington brands.  It also has the Country Living collection, which is offered by Sears and Kmart.  We are the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 11 million service calls made annually.  Sears Holdings Corporation operates through its subsidiaries, including Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Kmart Corporation.  For more information, visit Sears Holdings' website at www.searsholdings.com. | Twitter: @searsholdings| Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SHCCareers

About Kenmore
The Kenmore brand is an industry leader in delivering smart and stylish appliance innovations that help consumers do things quicker, easier and better. Recognized as a top appliance brand, Kenmore continues to raise the bar with industry-leading products across small and large appliance categories. The brand took on a major overhaul re-launching and revamping packaging, product, marketing and social media efforts with the promise of consistently delivering more.  The brand also introduced the Kenmore Live Studio is an interactive space in the heart of Chicago equipped to stream innovative experiences and events live online via the Kenmore Facebook page.  For more information, log on to www.kenmore.com or www.facebook.com/Kenmore.

*Based on unit share data from years 2005-2011 for all households purchasing Kenmore branded products, using an average product life span of 6.5 years based on Appliance Market research report, Jan 2010, and the 2010 US Census average of 2.59 persons per household.

** Among the leading brands of freestanding, slide in and drop in ranges.

Contact Information:
Larry Costello
Sears Holdings Corp.
(847)-286-9036
Larry.Costello@searshc.com

Eileen Earley
Zeno Group for Sears
(312) 396-9796
Eileen.Earley@zenogroup.com

SOURCE Sears Holdings Corporation