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Sears announced Thursday that it will begin selling Kenmore appliances on Amazon that feature Amazon’s smart home assistant Alexa, reports the Chicago Tribune.
According to the article, Sears will sell Kenmore appliances that can be operated using Alexa’s voice-activation capabilities. The retailer will also sell Alexa-enabled Kenmore air conditioner units on the e-commerce platform, the Tribune reports.
“The launch of Kenmore products on Amazon.com will significantly expand the distribution and availability of the Kenmore brand in the U.S.,” Edward S. Lampert, chairman and CEO of Sears Holdings says in the company’s press release.
According to the company, the expansion of Kenmore-branded products to Amazon “marks the broadest distribution of Kenmore…outside of Sears-branded stores and related online retail platforms.”
Sears has been undergoing a restructuring initiative since February when the retailer announced it intended to cut $1 billion from its operating costs in order to decrease expenses and free up capital. That effort was updated to $1.25 billion in cuts earlier this year when Sears announced its first-quarter sales.
In addition to closing hundreds of stores, laying off workers and selling its Craftsman tool brand to Stanley, Sears recently expanded its Kenmore grill brand to retailers other than Sears as part of the restructuring plan.
Sears recently opened a new store that sells only mattresses and appliances, which the retailer reports have consistently been two of its strongest selling categories, according to CNBC.
