As part of the deal to sell 49 per cent of Sunbeam to US-based Jarden Corporation – which owns the Sunbeam brand elsewhere in the world – the Australian small appliance brand also acquired a 49 per cent share in Jarden Consumer Solutions’ Asian sales operations, giving Sunbeam access to the Jarden stable of brands.
The first of these brands Sunbeam will be introducing to the Australian market is Oster, a pure play blender brand. It will be the linchpin of Mother’s Day activity for Sunbeam, the company said.
Launching in April, the Oster range will be exclusive to selected Harvey Norman stores for the first three months. There are three types of new Oster blender, starting with the hero product: the Versa (RRP $999) which has blades that reach speeds of up to 400 kilometres per hour. There are the mid-range Beehives (RRP from $229), which take their name from the unique beehive designed base and the FitBlend (RRP $79.95) personal blender.
Set to rival high performance blenders from Vitamix and Breville, the Versa Performance Blender comes with two distinct jugs and convenient one-touch settings.
The stylish mid-range Beehive blenders come in red, black and silver.
FitBlend Personal Blender has a powerful 350 watt motor, two BPA-Free reusable bottles and soft grip rubber wrap and carry loop for drinking on-the-go. It will join the already very popular category of personal blenders which includes Kambrook’s Blitz2Go, George Foreman’s Mix & Go and Sunbeam’s Blender on the Go.
According to product marketing manager Emma Martin-Fisher, Oster is the number one blending brand in the US, based on unit sales, and has over 90 years of heritage.
Oster began in 1924 when John Oster saw an opportunity to market a hand-operated hair clipper. In 1946, Mr Oster made a decision to diversify from barber equipment to small house electrical appliances and purchased Stevens Electric, a company that produced its first blender in 1923. In 1960, the John Oster Manufacturing Company was acquired and became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Sunbeam Corporation, which is owned by Jarden.
The full Oster launch campaign will kick off in April 2015 and will include premium infomercial/long format TVC on national free-to-air and subscription TV. Below the line marketing will include in-store POS and retail staff training and demonstrations.