Whirlpool Corporation Submits Qualified Bid for Parts of Brandt Major Appliance Business.

Business Editors

BENTON HARBOR, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 9, 2001

Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR) today confirmed that the company has submitted a qualified bid to the French Commercial Court of Nanterre for parts of the Brandt major appliance business.

Moulinex-Brandt filed for bankruptcy proceedings on Sept. 7. Groupe SEB, a leading manufacturer of small domestic appliances, acquired part of the Moulinex assets last month. The Commercial Court of Nanterre had set a Nov. 9 deadline for the first bids from any interested party for all or parts of the Brandt major domestic appliance business.

"France is Whirlpool's largest market in Europe and certain Brandt assets could be very complementary to our existing business in Europe," said Jeff Fettig, Whirlpool Corporation's president and chief operating officer. "Whirlpool will continue to evaluate this potential opportunity according to the guidelines established by French authorities."

Details of the qualified bid are not available at this time.

Whirlpool Corporation is the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances. Headquartered in Benton Harbor, the company manufactures in 13 countries and markets products under 11 major brand names in more than 170 countries. Additional information about the company can be found on the Internet at www.WhirlpoolCorp.com.

This news release contains forward-looking statements, as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In addition to the expected appliance industry results for 2001 noted in this news release, there are certain factors that could cause results to differ materially from those anticipated by some of the statements made. These factors are listed in the company's most recently filed Form 10-Q and/or Form 10-K.