AB Electrolux (the Swedish company, also former parent to US Electrolux) bought Eureka in 1974. Eurekas have been called Electrolux, and the company has called itself Electrolux, everywhere in the world except the US and Canada since the US operation split off. When Joe Urso et al purchased Electrolux from Sara Lee Corp. (formerly known as Consolidated Foods) for $55 million, almost 10 yrs ago, the first thing he did was to sell the rights to the Electrolux name back to AB Electrolux for $50 million. Thus he purchased Electrolux for $5 million net. But he had to re-name it, as he had sold the rights to the name. There is a transition period in which Aerus may use the name Electrolux, but they will eventually have to discontinue the use of that name completely. My Electrolux Home Care Products US (formerly Eureka) has one version of this, and our friend Derreck, an Aerus Electrolux Branch Manager, has another. Obviously the two companies are telling their employees different stories. The truth probably lies somewhere in between. Interestingly, Aerus contracted out the manufacturing of their machines to Eureka, part of AB Electrolux. Now they are telling their people that they are resuming production at their own Bristol, VA plant. AB Electrolux says that isn't true. I asked my friend (and VCCC member) Jimmy Martin, and old Electrolux man himself, who lives in that area and knows a lot of the factory people in Bristol, and he had seen (at the time of our last conversation about this, a couple of weeks ago) no evidence of anything going on at Bristol that would indicate they were resuming production there. Who knows what to believe? Obviously there is no love lost between these two companies. One thing is for sure, the Electrolux branded machines sold at stores like Lowe's and Sears, are really re-branded Eurekas. They are OK mid-priced machines, but people who think they are getting an Electrolux like mom and grandma had are seriously disappointed. I would not sell these machines myself. I do sell the Sanitaire brand products, which are excellent, but no other Eureka products except the occasional hand vac.
