Current Events in September 2019

A change in ownership has not stopped the bleeding at Sears. The retailer, acquired by a firm controlled by former CEO Eddie Lampert in February, says it is closing 100 more Sears and Kmart stores.

That’s in addition to the nearly two dozen Sears and Kmart stores already targeted for closing next month. And of course, it follows the shuttering of hundreds of Sears and Kmart stores over the last five years as the venerable retailer struggled against a rising sea of red ink.

At the time, ESL Investments, headed by Lampert, purchased Sears’ remaining assets the company announced that it would retain only about 400 Sears and Kmart stores. It isn’t clear from the announcement whether the 100 set for closing are part of that 400 or had already been designated for elimination at the time of the purchase.

Sears Holdings, the former owner of the brand, filed for bankruptcy protection 11 months ago. It pointed to steep declines in business lost to online shopping channels and rising debt. The following months were marked by a bitter struggle to control the company’s future, with Lampert’s hedge fund emerging as the high bidder.

Opposition to selling to Lampert

Even so, board members and vendors strongly opposed the sale to Lampert, suggesting his leadership as CEO had put the company in its predicament. In making his argument for ownership, Lampert said he could at least preserve some of the stores while saving approximately 68,000 jobs.

Even after the sale was completed, there were lawsuits. The Sears Holdings’ team that was given the responsibility of disposing of Sears’ assets sued Lampert in April, alleging that Lampert destroyed billions of dollars of Sears’ value and drove the company into bankruptcy.

Lampert defended his actions as CEO, saying he was forced to sell assets in a vain attempt to pull Sears out of what he called its “death spiral.” But Sears Holdings, which filed the suit, charges Lampert in effect “gave away the store” in deals that failed to realize the full value of the assets he was selling.

The following month, the new Sears sued the old Sears, claiming that what’s left of the old company -- the Sears estate -- has failed to turn over "hundreds of millions of dollars of assets" called for by the sales agreement.

Whirlpool Corporation of Benton Harbor, Mich., is recalling about 29,000 Whirlpool, KitchenAid and JennAir brand glass cooktops with touch controls sold in the U.S., Canada and Mexico

The cooktop surface elements can turn on by themselves, posing burn and fire hazards.

The firm has received 133 reports of incidents involving the cooktop surface elements turning on by themselves.

This resulted in 14 reports, including 13 in the U.S., and one in Canada, of heat damage to nearby items and four reports of items catching fire, including one report of property damage.

Two minor burn injuries have been reported.

This recall involves cooktops with a glass cooking surface, touch controls, radiant and downdraft radiant models sold under the Whirlpool, KitchenAid and JennAir brands with the following model numbers:

They were manufactured from December 2016 through July 2019. The brand name is printed on the cooktop and the model number and serial numbers are printed on the underside of the cooktop.

The model numbers beginning with K are KitchenAid models, the model numbers beginning with W are Whirlpool models, and the model numbers beginning with J are JennAir models.

The cooktops, manufactured in the U.S., were sold at Lowe’s, The Home Depot, Best Buy and other home improvement, home appliance and other stores and online from March 2017, through August 2019, for between $1,150 and $2,500.

What to do

Consumers should immediately contact Whirlpool to arrange for a free installation of a replacement cooktop. When not in use, turn the unit off at the circuit breaker. Do not leave flammable materials or empty cookware on or near the cooktop.

Consumers may contact Whirlpool toll-free at (888) 900-7897 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday, or online at repair.whirlpoolcorp.com.

Consumers may also visit either www.whirlpool.com, www.kitchenaid.com, or www.jennair.com, and click on “Recall Information” at the bottom of the page for more information.

Brutus & Barnaby of Clearwater, Fla., is recalling all size variations of Pig Ears for Dogs.

The product may be contaminated with Salmonella.

The recalled product, which comes in 8 count, 12 count, 25 count and 100 count packages labeled “Pig Ears 100% Natural Treats for Dogs” containing the company's trademarked logo, was sold nationwide by Amazon.com, Chewy.com, Brutusandbarnaby.com and the brick and mortar Natures Food Patch in Clearwater, Fla.

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled product should destroy it and contact the place of purchase for a full refund.

Consumers with questions may contact the company at (800) 489-0970 Monday – Friday, 9am – 5 PM (EST).