They began steadily purchasing basic ice chests from the Grand Rapids Refrigeration Company in 1918. . During the year, the company produced sixty-seven such refrigerators. By 1923, the Kelvinator Company held 80 percent of the American electric refrigerator market. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Within ten years of its founding in 1925, Kelvinator Corporation produced the industry's first self-contained electric home refrigerator. On July 3, 1925, Kelvinator purchased the Nizer Corporation in a tripartite merger valued at $20,000,000. Jamshed Desai originally controlled Kelvinator India Limited (KIL). The Kelvinator brand belonged to the Electrolux group but was franchised to KIL, in which Electrolux held approximately 13% stake. In 1970-1980, Kelvinator was the leader in the refrigerator market in India. However, during the 1991-1993 period, Kelvinator fell on hard times; it was the first time they had suffered market share losses. Expensive facilities, old factories and investments in other market areas such as mopeds did not help. In 1994, the company lost its positions to Godrej. In 2000, Kelvinator's market share fell from 19% to 16%. The company was still in a difficult situation; decrease in market share, decrease in sales and increase in losses. Competitors such as Whirpol, LG and Samsung have instead increased their market share. With Frost Free, Kelvinator gained 4% market share within a year of launch. In the direct cooling segment, the combined company held a 27 percent share in 2001. The company's 2002 market share stands at around 8%, which is expected to increase in the current year due to its expansion plan which includes consolidation of its washing machine manufacturing plant at Butibolri in Maharashtra. Before the liberalization of the Indian economy, only a few companies like Kelvinator, Godrej, Allwyn and Voltas were major players in the consumer durables market, accounting for no less than 90% of the market. Then, after liberalization, foreign players such as LG, Sony, Samsung, Whirlpool, Daewoo and Aiwa entered the scene. Today, these players control the largest share of the consumer durables market. 30 Brand BuildingKelvinatorRemember: This is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay A good example of how a well-known and popular brand suffers due to lack of adequate marketing support Early competitors in the market Limited portfolio of models Lower brand visibility and indifferent retailers Electrolux (who has purchased the brand since January 1997 ) strengthens the brand Kelvinator will be the flagship brand spanning most market segments Kelvinator has been present in India for a long time and is popular as a brand the brand which is the “coolest”, was chosen before the others.