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Home Washer, Dryer Sales Show First Signs of Recovery in October

WASHINGTON — A long decline in the factory shipments of major appliances finally showed signs of coming to an end in October, when wholesale sales slipped by a relatively modest 3.8% overall year over year, and home laundry reversed the trend by showing improvement.The latest data compiled by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) showed two core categories — laundry and kitchen cleanup — displaying positive growth during the month, while declines in other sectors weren’t as drastic as in previous months.Kitchen cleanup was October’s strongest performer, with gains of 2% to about 443,100 units, and home laundry put in the second-strongest performance with a 1% gain in shipments to 1.1 million units. Gas dryers showed the greatest growth in the laundry category, up 5.6% in wholesale sales year over year, followed by washers with a 2.4% increase to about 602,100 units.Shipments of the “AHAM 6” — a composite category combining washers, dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers, ranges and ovens — slipped by just 1.7% to 2.9 million units, but are down 11.2% year to date through October, AHAM reports. 

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