The Rival Company
Encyclopedia
The Rival Company was an American manufacturer of small appliances that produced products under the Bionaire, Crock-Pot, Fasco, Patton, Pollenex, Rival, Simer, and White Mountain brands. They became a wholly owned subsidiary of Holmes Products Corp. in 1999, and are now a brand of Sunbeam Products
, a subsidiary of Jarden Corporation, which purchased Holmes in 2005.
. They soon began producing food preparation products under the "O-Mat" line, such as the Juice-O-Mat juicer, Can-O-Mat can opener, and Broil-O-Mat broiler. After shutting down to produce ammunition during World War II
, Rival expanded their product lines in the post-war era. They acquired Waverly Products, Inc., expanding their products in to the home appliances market with Waverly's popular Steam-O-Mat iron.
In 1963, the company was sold to Stern Brother Investment Bank, and went public in 1964. Soon after, the acquired Titan Manufacturing Company and their line of portable electric heaters. In 1970, they acquired Naxon Utilities Corp., makers of a little known product called the "Bean Pot" slow cooker
. Rival re-introduced the Bean Pot as the Crock-Pot in 1971, and it quickly became one of their top products.
Rival went private again in 1986, but became a publicly traded company again in 1992. After going public again, they acquired the Simer Pump Company, Pollenex Corp, White Mountain Freezers, Patton Electric Company, Inc., Fasco Consumer Products, and Bionaire, Inc. during the 1990s. However, in February 1999, Rival was acquired by Holmes Products Corp, a manufacturer of air handling products such as fans, heaters, humidifiers, and filters (markets in which Rival was also a major player).
Holmes continued marketing Rival's products under the "Rival Products" brand name until they were acquired by Jarden Corporation in 2005. Jarden's Sunbeam Products, Inc. subsidiary continues to manufacture products under the Rival and Holmes brands, although Crock-Pot was spun off as its own brand and its slow cookers no longer features the Rival logo, and Bionaire and Patton have become Jarden subsidiaries. The "Rival" brand name and logo are also licensed by Wal-Mart
for some of their store brand
small appliances.
Sunbeam Products
Sunbeam Products is an American brand that has produced electric home appliances since 1910. Their products have included the Mixmaster mixer, the Sunbeam CG waffle iron, Coffeemaster and the fully automatic T20 toaster. Sunbeam is owned by Jarden Consumer Solutions after Jarden's acquisition in...
, a subsidiary of Jarden Corporation, which purchased Holmes in 2005.
History
Rival was founded in 1932 by Henry J. Talge as the Rival Manufacturing Co., which specialized in die castingDie casting
Die casting is a metal casting process that is characterized by forcing molten metal under high pressure into a mold cavity. The mold cavity is created using two hardened tool steel dies which have been machined into shape and work similarly to an injection mold during the process...
. They soon began producing food preparation products under the "O-Mat" line, such as the Juice-O-Mat juicer, Can-O-Mat can opener, and Broil-O-Mat broiler. After shutting down to produce ammunition during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Rival expanded their product lines in the post-war era. They acquired Waverly Products, Inc., expanding their products in to the home appliances market with Waverly's popular Steam-O-Mat iron.
In 1963, the company was sold to Stern Brother Investment Bank, and went public in 1964. Soon after, the acquired Titan Manufacturing Company and their line of portable electric heaters. In 1970, they acquired Naxon Utilities Corp., makers of a little known product called the "Bean Pot" slow cooker
Slow cooker
A slow cooker, also known as a Crock-Pot or Slo-Cooker , is a countertop electrical cooking appliance that is used for simmering, which requires maintaining a relatively low temperature compared to other cooking methods for many hours, allowing unattended cooking...
. Rival re-introduced the Bean Pot as the Crock-Pot in 1971, and it quickly became one of their top products.
Rival went private again in 1986, but became a publicly traded company again in 1992. After going public again, they acquired the Simer Pump Company, Pollenex Corp, White Mountain Freezers, Patton Electric Company, Inc., Fasco Consumer Products, and Bionaire, Inc. during the 1990s. However, in February 1999, Rival was acquired by Holmes Products Corp, a manufacturer of air handling products such as fans, heaters, humidifiers, and filters (markets in which Rival was also a major player).
Holmes continued marketing Rival's products under the "Rival Products" brand name until they were acquired by Jarden Corporation in 2005. Jarden's Sunbeam Products, Inc. subsidiary continues to manufacture products under the Rival and Holmes brands, although Crock-Pot was spun off as its own brand and its slow cookers no longer features the Rival logo, and Bionaire and Patton have become Jarden subsidiaries. The "Rival" brand name and logo are also licensed by Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
for some of their store brand
Store brand
Store brands are a line of products sold by a retailer under a single marketing identity. They bear a similarity to the concept of House brands, Private label brands in the United States, own brands in the UK, and home brands in Australia and generic brands...
small appliances.