Corelle Brands

Last updated
Corelle Brands LLC
Company typePrivate
Industry Kitchenware
Founded1991
Headquarters Downers Grove, IL, U.S.
Key people
Ben Gadbois, president and chief executive officer
OwnerCornell Capital
Number of employees
3,000 (2013)
Website corellebrands.com

Corelle Brands, LLC is an American kitchenware products maker and distributor based in Downers Grove, Illinois.

Contents

The company began as the Corning Consumer Products Company, a division of the glassmaker Corning Inc., and was also known as "World Kitchen" from 2000 until 2018. [1]

History

The company began as an unincorporated consumer products division of Corning, Inc. in 1915 with the invention of heat-resistant glass bakeware sold under the Pyrex brand. It was incorporated as the Corning Consumer Products Company (CCPC) in the early 1990s as part of a larger reorganization and Corning contributed or licensed to the company substantially all of its assets used in the existing consumer division. In November 1994, Corning and the CCPC sold its European, Russian, Middle Eastern and African consumer products businesses to Newell. A major competitor at the time, they would serve as the exclusive distributor for a number of the company’s products in those regions. Corning spun-off CCPC in 1998 and sold the division to Borden. It acquired General Housewares and Ekco in 1999. [2] [3]

As part of the sale to Borden, the company was required to shed the Corning name within three years. [3] The World Kitchen name was adopted in 2000. In 2002 the company filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 and underwent financial reorganization. [4]

As of 2004, it was privately held. Kenneth Wilkes was named president and CEO in August 2017, following a change in control in April to private equity firm Cornell Capital. that was preceded by a long period of organizational changes and operational restructuring. [5] [6]

On February 5, 2018, the company announced it had changed its name to "Corelle Brands" in order to take advantage of one of its most recognizable trademarks. [7]

In August 2018, Corelle Brands announced it would be investing $50 million over the next four years to update its Corning plant and expand its workforce. [8]

On March 4, 2019, the company announced it had entered into a merger agreement with Instant Brands, maker of the Instant Pot kitchen appliance, and Corelle’s chief executive would become the chief executive of the merged company while Instant Brands founder Robert Wang would become the merged company’s "chief innovative officer". [9] Financial details of the deal have not been disclosed. [10]

On June 2, 2020, the company announced Ben Gadbois as the replacement for Kenneth Wilkes, who retired but will continue to serve on the board of directors. [11]

On January 28, 2021, CEO Ben Gadbois announced Corelle Brands would change its global parent company name to Instant Brands. [12]

On June 12, 2023 Instant Brands filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. [13] During bankruptcy proceedings, the company sold its appliance business ("Instant" branded products) to Centre Lane Partners. [14]

On December 22, 2023 the sales agreement to Centre Lane for Consumers houseware including Pyrex and the Charleroi Pyrex Manufacturing plant was terminated due to: not being able to obtain requisite regulatory approvals. [15]

The company emerged from bankruptcy on February 27, 2024 under the previous Corelle Brands moniker. [16]

Anchor Hocking took over the Pyrex Charleroi plant in March 2024. [17]

On September 4, 2024 Anchor Hocking (a Centre Lane Partners company) announced that they will be closing the Pyrex Manufacturing Plant in Charleroi, PA [18]

Domestic and international markets

Corelle Brands products were typically sold in supermarkets in the USA, and by some high-end retailers catering to upper class consumers in parts of Asia, Europe, and South America. In China, its goods enjoy limited distribution and products are sold through TV Home Shopping channels and in shopping malls. [19]

Corelle Brands also had outlet stores Corningware, Corelle and More throughout the United States.

Brands

Current

Corelle Brands manufactures products under names such as:

Past

On June 1, 2004, WKI Holding Company, Inc., which operates principally through its subsidiary World Kitchen, Inc., announced that it had completed the sale of OXO International to Helen of Troy Limited for over $273 million in cash. [20]

In 2018, Corelle Brands discontinued production of Revereware and Bakers Secret.

Visions

Visions is a transparent cookware line created by Corning France in the late 1970s. In 1983, it was introduced in the US and became the number one selling cookware set for a number of years. Visions is made of a transparent version of Pyroceram glass-ceramic, occasionally referred to as Calexium. However, its lids have typically been made out of Pyrex (both Borosilicate and Soda-lime glass) in the US and Asia. Originally introduced in an amber color, a cranberry tinted version was available from 1992 until 2004. A white variation was available primarily in Europe as "White Vision" and in the US in limited supply under the name "Pyromax". Visions was temporarily unavailable in the United States from 2004 until 2006 but has otherwise been produced non-stop for nearly 40 years.

Chicago Cutlery 3.25" Parer, Model: Fusion Chicago Cutlery Parer Knife.jpg
Chicago Cutlery 3.25" Parer, Model: Fusion

Chicago Cutlery

In 1930 Chicago Cutlery was incorporated by Alfred Paulson. Initially it focused on knife conditioning before making its main business manufacture of kitchen cutlery. Chicago Cutlery was a subsidiary brand of Corelle Brands. [21]

CorningWare

Corning Ware casserole dish and other cookware pieces Corningware casserole dishes.jpg
Corning Ware casserole dish and other cookware pieces

Originally introduced in 1958, Corning Ware was made in the US from a glass-ceramic material called Pyroceram which was able to withstand temperatures as high as 850 °C. Due to its high thermal shock resistance, Corning Ware could be used to store food in a freezer and then taken directly to a stove, placed under a broiler or in an oven (both conventional and microwave). Lids have typically been made out of Pyrex (both Borosilicate and Soda-lime glass) though some versions were also created out of Pyroceram. It was discontinued in 2003, replaced by a stoneware line of bakeware made in China under the same name. In December 2008, the company released CorningWare StoveTop. It reintroduced the original Pyroceram product, this time made in France alongside Visions, and made available for purchase through its outlet stores and retail website.

The factory in France, which produces both CorningWare StoveTop and Visions, is one of the few still capable of producing glass-ceramic products.

EKCO

In 1888, Edward Katzinger founded the Edward Katzinger Company in Chicago to manufacture baking pans. [22] In 1945, the company went public under the new name EKCO Products Company. [23] Throughout its history, the company grew both organically and with acquisitions [24] until it was the largest non-electric housewares manufacturer in the US by the mid-1960s. [25] The company was sold to the conglomerate American Home Products (AHP) in 1965. [22] [24] AHP later split its housewares division into Ekco Products Inc., Ekco Housewares Co., and The Prestige Group Limited; Ekco Housewares was sold to the investment firm Gibbons, Green, Van Amerongen in 1984. [23] The company was sold again to Centronics Corp. in 1987, which then re-branded itself as Ekco Group, Inc. [26] Corning Consumer Products Co. purchased Ekco along with General Housewares Inc. in 1999. [27]

Product issues

Pyrex-branded glass products have been the subject of urban legends and safety concerns. Beginning in the 1980s, production of clear Pyrex glass bakeware was switched from a more thermally resistant borosilicate glass to mechanically stronger soda-lime glass. The concern stems from the fact that soda-lime glass is more susceptible to breaking when exposed to sudden temperature differences. This change received greater attention after Corning, Inc. spun-off the Corning Consumer Products Company. The consumer affairs magazine Consumer Reports investigated the issue, in January 2011, confirming that borosilicate glass bakeware was less susceptible to thermal shock breakage than tempered soda-lime bakeware. However, the organization admitted its testing conditions were "contrary to instructions" provided by the manufacturer. [28] [29] Statistical Assessment Service (STATS) analyzed the data available and found that the most common way that users were injured by glassware was via mechanical breakage, being hit or dropped, and that "the change to soda lime represents a greater net safety benefit." [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charleroi, Pennsylvania</span> Borough in Pennsylvania, United States

Charleroi is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the Monongahela River, 21 miles south of Pittsburgh. Charleroi was settled by Walloons in 1890 and incorporated in 1891. The 2020 census recorded a population of 4,210.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pyrex</span> Trademark for borosilicate glass

Pyrex is a brand introduced by Corning Inc. in 1915, initially for a line of clear, low-thermal-expansion borosilicate glass used for laboratory glassware and kitchenware. It was later expanded in the 1930s to include kitchenware products made of soda–lime glass and other materials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corning Inc.</span> American glass and ceramics manufacturer

Corning Incorporated is an American multinational technology company that specializes in specialty glass, ceramics, and related materials and technologies including advanced optics, primarily for industrial and scientific applications. The company was named Corning Glass Works until 1989. Corning divested its consumer product lines in 1998 by selling the Corning Consumer Products Company subsidiary to Borden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire-King</span> Brand of heat-resistant glassware manufactured by Anchor Hocking

Fire-King is an Anchor Hocking brand of glassware similar to Pyrex. It was formerly made of low expansion borosilicate glass and ideal for oven use. Currently it is made of tempered soda-lime-silicate glass in the US and borosilicate in Japan

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OXO (kitchen utensils brand)</span> Manufacturer of kitchen utensils, office supplies, and housewares

OXO is an American manufacturer of kitchen utensils, office supplies, and housewares, founded in 1990 and based in New York City. OXO products are made in the USA and China. They provide a non-stick pro-Bakeware line that is completely made in the US. Some OXO products come with a "made in China" tag.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borosilicate glass</span> Glass made of silica and boron trioxide

Borosilicate glass is a type of glass with silica and boron trioxide as the main glass-forming constituents. Borosilicate glasses are known for having very low coefficients of thermal expansion, making them more resistant to thermal shock than any other common glass. Such glass is subjected to less thermal stress and can withstand temperature differentials without fracturing of about 165 °C (300 °F). It is commonly used for the construction of reagent bottles and flasks, as well as lighting, electronics, and cookware.

Vycor is the brand name of Corning's high-silica, high-temperature glass. It provides very high thermal shock resistance. Vycor is approximately 96% silica and 4% boron trioxide, but unlike pure fused silica, it can be readily manufactured in a variety of shapes.Vycor can be subject to prolonged usage at 900°C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CorningWare</span> Brand of dish and other cookware pieces

Corning Ware, also written CorningWare, was originally a brand name for a unique glass-ceramic (Pyroceram) cookware resistant to thermal shock. It was first introduced in 1958 by Corning Glass Works in the United States. The brand was later spun off with the sale of the Corning Consumer Products Company subsidiary, now known as Corelle Brands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sur La Table</span> Cookware retailer

Sur La Table, Inc. is a privately held retail company based in Seattle, Washington, that sells kitchenware including cookware, cutlery, cooks' tools, small electrics, tabletop and linens, bakeware, glassware and bar, housewares, food, and outdoor products. As of October 2018, Sur La Table sold products in 184 stores in 32 states across the United States, as well as through their website and catalogs. Cooking classes are available in over 80 stores. Sur La Table has a blog, A Sharp Knife & Salt, that focuses on food, chefs, restaurants and products. Many of the company's stores offer culinary classes with plans to include a kitchen in every new store. The company's corporate headquarters is located in Seattle's Georgetown neighborhood.

Grab-it is a brand of Corning Ware cookware products easily identifiable by their uniform distinctive shape: a bowl with vertical sides and a rounded, concave tab handle. The name was first used for a versatile product which could safely go from refrigerator to stovetop, oven, broiler, or microwave, but later, inferior products, nearly identical in appearance but unsafe for stovetop or broiler use, were also branded as Corning Ware Grab-it. Before the introduction of the stoneware look-alike product, the Grab-it line was made of Pyroceram, a glass-ceramic material, by Corning Glass Works. Grab-its are notable as being among the first cookware specifically designed for microwave use. Their original design was recognized by the Smithsonian's Cooper–Hewitt, National Design Museum. Grab-its strongly resemble porringers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soda–lime glass</span> Type of glass

Soda–lime glass, also called soda–lime–silica glass, is the most prevalent type of glass, used for windowpanes and glass containers for beverages, food, and some commodity items. Some glass bakeware is made of soda-lime glass, as opposed to the more common borosilicate glass. Soda–lime glass accounts for about 90% of manufactured glass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corelle</span> Brand of glassware and dishware

Corelle is a brand of glassware and dishware. It is made of Vitrelle, a tempered glass product consisting of two types of glass laminated into three layers. It was introduced by Corning Glass Works in 1970, but is now manufactured and sold by Corelle Brands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EKCO</span> British electrical and plastics manufacturer

EKCO was a British electronics company founded by Eric Kirkham Cole CBE in Southend-on-Sea during 1924. The company started out by making radio sets, before progressing onto television sets and lighting. The company's knowledge of radio saw it expand into developing radar before and during World War II. The company expanded into making its own plastic bodies for radio sets, with EKCO Plastics later becoming a manufacturer of domestic wares. The company merged in 1960 with Pye to become British Electronic Industries Ltd, which was purchased by Dutch firm Philips in 1967, with the EKCO brand disappearing from brown goods during the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Home + Housewares Show</span>

The Inspired Home Show, formerly known as the International Home + Housewares Show, is an annual housewares show staged at McCormick Place in Chicago and organized by the International Housewares Association. In 2008, the Show covered 785,000 net square feet (72,900 m2) of exhibit space. It is one of top 20 largest trade shows in the U.S. and in the top 10 in Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salter Housewares</span> British housewares brand (notably weighing scales)

Salter is a British housewares brand. Established in 1760, Salter has been developing precision products for over 260 years. Salter develops and sells products that span a wide range of core product categories, including scales, electricals, cookware and countertop. It is a market leader in kitchen and bathroom scales and one of the UK’s oldest consumer brands. It was acquired by Manchester-based consumer goods giant Ultimate Products in 2021, after they had previously licensed the brand for cookware and kitchen electrical goods since 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duran (glass)</span> Brand name for borosilicate glass

DURAN is a brand name for the internationally defined borosilicate glass 3.3 produced by the German company DURAN Group GmbH since 2005 under license from the Schott AG, which was the first to develop it, and which sold it from 1893 until the equity carve-out of the DURAN Group in 2005. Because of its high resistance to heat and temperature changes, as well as its high mechanical strength and low coefficient of thermal expansion, DURAN, which Pyrex from Corning is similar to, is not only used for laboratory devices but also in cathode-ray tubes, transmitting tubes, and speculums.

Visions is a brand of transparent stove top cookware created by Corning France and introduced to Europe during the late 1970s. In 1983, it was introduced in the United States and became the number one selling cookware set for a number of years. Visions is made of a transparent material belonging to the Pyroceram family of glass-ceramics. It is one of the few cookware lines that can be used on the range, in the oven, and under a broiler. It will withstand heat up to 850 °C (1,560 °F) with thermal traits similar to Corning Ware plus improved resistance to staining and the detrimental effects of acids and detergents. Visions is sold worldwide by Corelle Brands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Instant Pot</span> Canadian brand of multicookers (2010–)

Instant Pot is a brand of multicookers manufactured by Instant Pot Brands. The multicookers are electronically controlled, combined pressure cookers and slow cookers.

Aroma Housewares Company also known as Mirama Enterprises, Inc, branded as Aroma, is a cookware and small kitchen appliance manufacturing company founded by Peter Chang in Southern California in 1977. The company is a leading American brand for rice cookers. It also produces portable electric burners, hot pots, induction products, electric woks, food steamers, countertop ovens, food dehydrators, pressure cookers, coffee makers, rice dispensers, slow cookers, DoveWare cookware and bakeware, and toasters.

Instant Brands Inc. is a company selling a range of kitchen appliances. The company was founded by Robert Wang, Yi Qin, and three other Canadian partners in 2009. They are the distributor and designers of the Instant Pot and other products sold under the Instant Brands name.

References

  1. ↑ Ek, Derrick. "World Kitchen plans layoffs at Corning plant". The Leader . Corning NY. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  2. ↑ "WKI HOLDING CO INC: 10-K Annual Report". getfilings.com. December 31, 2000. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
  3. 1 2 Wallauer, Amy. "Corning sale finalized". The Herald-Mail . Hagerstown, Md. Archived from the original on 2017-09-11. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  4. ↑ "World Kitchen's Growing Saga: Acquiring Brands--And Debt". HFN. June 10, 2002. Retrieved 2021-02-12– via The Free Library.
  5. ↑ "Cornell Capital to Acquire World Kitchen" (Press release). Kitchen World. April 3, 2017. Retrieved 2021-02-12– via PR Newswire.
  6. ↑ "World Kitchen Appoints Kenneth G. Wilkes as President and Chief Executive Officer" (Press release). World Kitchen. August 15, 2017. Retrieved 2017-09-11– via PR Newswire.
  7. ↑ "World Kitchen Changes Name to Corelle Brands". Kitchenware News. February 5, 2018. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  8. ↑ Murray, Jeff (August 23, 2018). "Corelle Brands plans $50 million upgrade to Corning plant". Star-Gazette . Elmira, NY. Retrieved 2020-01-15.
  9. ↑ Pilieci, Vito (March 5, 2019). "Instant Pot maker announces merger with kitchenware giant Corelle Brands". Ottawa Citizen . Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  10. ↑ Evans, Pete (March 4, 2019). "Owner of Pyrex, CorningWare cooks up takeover of Instant Pot maker". CBC News . Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  11. ↑ "Cornell Capital-Backed Corelle Brands Appoints Ben Gadbois as President and Chief Executive Officer" (Press release). Corelle Brands. June 2, 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-08– via PR Newswire.
  12. ↑ "Corelle Brands Becomes Instant Brands with Increased Focus on Innovation and Consumer Engagement #MadeforTogether". Yahoo! Finance . February 3, 2021.
  13. ↑ Isidore, Chris (2023-06-13). "Instant Brands, maker of Instant Pot and Pyrex, files for bankruptcy | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  14. ↑ Brands, Instant. "Instant Brands Provides Update on Sale Process for its Appliance Business". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  15. ↑ "Case 23-90716 Document 845 Filed in TXSB on 12/22/23 Page 15 of 156". Texas Court. December 22, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Instant Brands emerges from chapter 11 as Corelle Brands | Davis Polk". www.davispolk.com. 2024-03-01. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  17. ↑ Reporter, TAYLOR BROWN, Senior (2024-09-06). "Glass making is important part of Charleroi's history - Mon Valley Independent". www.monvalleyindependent.com. Retrieved 2024-09-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ↑ Flores, Carlos Cristian (2024-09-04). "Employees at plant in Charleroi say location is closing; More than 300 jobs to be affected". WTAE. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
  19. ↑ Chan, Savio; Michael Zakhour (September 22, 2014). China's Super Consumers: What 1 Billion Customers Want and How to Sell it to Them. John Wiley & Sons. pp.  97-98. ISBN   978-1118834749.
  20. ↑ "World Kitchen Announces Completion of OXO International Sale" (Press release). World Kitchen, Inc. June 1, 2004. Archived from the original on May 16, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2008– via PR Newswire.
  21. ↑ "[28 Key Facts] What Happened to Chicago Cutlery? (Knife Knowledge)". My Kentucky Genealogy. 2021-11-18. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  22. 1 2 "Ekco Products Co". Encyclopedia of Chicago. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  23. 1 2 "Ekco Group, Inc. History". Funding Universe. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  24. 1 2 "Ekco Products Co". Made in Chicago Museum. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  25. ↑ "EKCO: Our Story". Corelle Brands Asia. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  26. ↑ Storch, Charles (October 3, 1987). "Ekco Sold; Expansion in Doubt". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  27. ↑ "Corning Consumer is Paying $133 million for Ekco". New York Times. Bloomberg News. August 6, 1999. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  28. ↑ "Exploding Pyrex?". Snopes. January 29, 2015.
  29. ↑ "FOIA requests examine glass bakeware that shatters". Consumer Reports. December 7, 2010. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  30. ↑ Butterworth, Trevor (November 20, 2014). "STATS: Exploding the exploding Pyrex rumor". Statistical Assessment Service . Archived from the original on 2014-11-20. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.