Magic Chef

Magic Chef is an American home-appliance brand whose roots extend to the stove-making businesses established in St. Louis, Missouri, during the nineteenth century. The brand is particularly associated with household ranges, ovens, and gas cooking equipment, although its corporate history also included laundry equipment, furnaces, air conditioners, and other household appliances. The brand’s industrial ancestry began in the 1850s, when German immigrant John Ringen operated a tinshop in St. Louis. In 1870, Ringen entered into partnership with George August Kahle. Their business sold housewares, early washing machines, and cooking stoves marketed as “quick meals.” In 1881, Kahle encouraged his brothers-in-law Charles and Louis Stockstrom to establish a manufacturing operation. The principals subsequently organized the Quick Meal Stove Company and the Ringen Stove Company, with Quick Meal focused on manufacturing and Ringen handling sales and distribution. Expansion among stove manufacturers in St. Louis, Chicago, and Cleveland led to the creation of the American Stove Company in 1901. American Stove later developed an important technical milestone when it introduced an oven-temperature control device in 1914. The Magic Chef name began to be used commercially in 1929 and became strongly identified with ovens and stoves. Its success was sufficient for American Stove Company to change its corporate name to Magic Chef, Inc. in 1951. Magic Chef’s core reputation remained concentrated in gas stoves and ranges. The company attempted to extend the name into additional household-appliance categories, but those efforts were not uniformly successful. Its ownership and corporate structure changed repeatedly during the second half of the twentieth century. In 1957, it was merged with Food Giant Markets of California. In 1958, after certain underperforming divisions had been divested, the business was sold to Dixie Products, a stove manufacturer based in Cleveland, Tennessee. The company later broadened its activities beyond cooking equipment. In 1974, Magic Chef acquired the Norge Village Laundry & Dry Cleaners chain. It also participated in the home-heating and cooling businesses, manufacturing or marketing furnaces and air conditioners in addition to appliances. In 1986, Magic Chef was sold to Maytag for $740 million, a transaction that placed the brand within one of the major American appliance groups. The heating and air-conditioning operation was subsequently sold to Lennox International in 1988. Maytag was acquired by Whirlpool Corporation in 2006. Magic Chef was later separated from the Maytag and Whirlpool portfolio and transferred to CNA International Inc., also associated with MC Appliance Corporation. Under its current ownership, Magic Chef continues as an appliance brand rather than as the independent diversified industrial company that existed during much of the twentieth century. The contemporary brand is used on selected household and small-appliance products, with distribution and product scope determined by CNA International and MC Appliance. Its historical significance rests principally on the development of mass-market American cooking appliances and on its connection to the American Stove manufacturing tradition.

Magic Chef developed from the nineteenth-century stove-manufacturing industry of St. Louis, Missouri. In the 1850s, German immigrant John Ringen established a tinshop that sold housewares and cooking-related products. George August Kahle joined Ringen as a partner in 1870. The business expanded into early washing machines and cooking stoves advertised as “quick meals.” In 1881, Kahle persuaded his brothers-in-law Charles and Louis Stockstrom to establish a stove-manufacturing shop. The principals created two related companies: the Quick Meal Stove Company, which manufactured stoves, and the Ringen Stove Company, which sold and distributed the production. Growth during the 1880s and 1890s encouraged consolidation across the stove industry. In 1901, eight additional stove businesses in St. Louis, Chicago, and Cleveland joined the two St. Louis companies to form the American Stove Company. American Stove became an important American cooking-appliance manufacturer. In 1914, it introduced an oven-temperature control device, reflecting the industry's movement toward more predictable and convenient household cooking. The Magic Chef name was introduced in 1929. It proved especially effective for ovens and stoves, eventually becoming more recognizable than the American Stove corporate name. In 1951, the company formally changed its name to Magic Chef, Inc. The business remained best known for gas stoves and ranges, although management sought to apply the brand to a wider selection of household appliances. These diversification efforts had mixed results. In 1957, Magic Chef merged with Food Giant Markets of California. The following year, after selling some weaker divisions, it was acquired by Dixie Products, a Cleveland, Tennessee, stove company. Magic Chef later expanded into related and unrelated household-service activities. Its 1974 purchase of the Norge Village Laundry & Dry Cleaners chain illustrated an effort to participate in laundry services as well as appliance manufacturing. The company also operated in home heating and air conditioning, producing or selling furnaces and air conditioners alongside cooking and laundry products. By 1986, Magic Chef had become a substantial industrial company and was sold to Maytag for $740 million. The heating and air-conditioning division was sold to Lennox International in 1988. Maytag itself was acquired by Whirlpool Corporation in 2006. Magic Chef was later spun out of the Whirlpool-Maytag structure and became associated with CNA International Inc. and MC Appliance Corporation. In its current form, Magic Chef is primarily a brand rather than an independent appliance conglomerate. CNA International and MC Appliance use the name on selected small, compact, and household appliances. The brand's historical identity continues to center on American cooking equipment, especially gas ranges and ovens, while its present product portfolio is shaped by the sourcing and distribution strategy of its current owner.

• 2006

  Whirlpool acquires Maytag

  [1]Magic Chefen.wikipedia.org

  The Maytag acquisition brought Magic Chef indirectly into Whirlpool's portfolio.

• 1988

  Heating and cooling operations are sold to Lennox

  [1]Magic Chefen.wikipedia.org

  Lennox International acquired Magic Chef's furnace and air-conditioning operation.

• 1986

  Maytag acquires Magic Chef

  [1]Magic Chefen.wikipedia.org

  Maytag purchased Magic Chef for $740 million.

• 1974

  Norge Village Laundry & Dry Cleaners is acquired

  [1]Magic Chefen.wikipedia.org

  Magic Chef entered the laundry-service business through the acquisition of the Norge Village chain.

• 1951

  American Stove adopts the Magic Chef corporate name

  [1]Magic Chefen.wikipedia.org

  The company changed its name to Magic Chef, Inc. after the brand gained recognition in cooking appliances.

• 1929

  Magic Chef becomes a brand name

  [1]Magic Chefen.wikipedia.org

  American Stove began using Magic Chef for its ovens and stoves.

• 1914

  American Stove introduces an oven-temperature control device

  [1]Magic Chefen.wikipedia.org

  The company introduced an early temperature-control technology for ovens, contributing to more consistent household cooking.

• 1901

  American Stove Company is formed

  [1]Magic Chefen.wikipedia.org

  A consolidation of stove companies from St. Louis, Chicago, and Cleveland created the American Stove Company.

• 1881

  Quick Meal Stove Company and Ringen Stove Company are organized

  [1]Magic Chefen.wikipedia.org

  The related companies divided manufacturing from sales and distribution, supporting the expansion of the St. Louis stove business.

• 1870

  George August Kahle becomes Ringen's partner

  [1]Magic Chefen.wikipedia.org

  Kahle joined Ringen's growing housewares and stove business, helping establish the commercial foundation for later stove manufacturing.

• 1850

  John Ringen establishes a St. Louis tinshop

  [1]Magic Chefen.wikipedia.org

  The business lineage later associated with Magic Chef began with John Ringen's tinshop in St. Louis, Missouri, during the 1850s.

A value-oriented American appliance brand with historic strength in household cooking equipment and a current presence in selected small and compact appliances.

• Cooking appliances · 1929

  Magic Chef ranges and stoves

  Ranges and stoves are the products most strongly associated with Magic Chef's historical identity. The brand became known for gas cooking equipment and household ranges after its introduction by American Stove Company in 1929. Its earlier corporate predecessor also participated in the development of oven-temperature control technology. Magic Chef's reputation in this category supported the company's 1951 decision to adopt the brand as its corporate name.

• Cooking appliances · 1929

  Magic Chef ovens

  Ovens formed a central part of the Magic Chef product identity. The brand's success came from its association with household ovens and stoves, while its corporate predecessor, American Stove Company, introduced an oven-temperature control device in 1914. Contemporary products carrying the Magic Chef name are determined by the portfolio and distribution activities of CNA International and MC Appliance Corporation.

• Small household appliances

  Magic Chef compact and small appliances

  Under CNA International and MC Appliance Corporation, Magic Chef is used on selected small and compact household appliances in addition to its historic cooking products. The current brand model relies on importing and marketing products under multiple appliance names rather than operating as the diversified industrial manufacturer that existed in the twentieth century.

• Laundry appliances · 1974

  Magic Chef laundry equipment

  Laundry was part of Magic Chef's historical expansion. In 1974, the company acquired the Norge Village Laundry & Dry Cleaners chain, adding laundry-related services to its cooking-appliance and household-equipment activities. The acquisition does not by itself establish the full range of laundry products sold under the Magic Chef name.

• Heating and cooling equipment

  Magic Chef furnaces and air conditioners

  Magic Chef historically participated in home heating and cooling through furnaces and air conditioners. This business was sold to Lennox International in 1988, so these products are part of the brand's corporate history rather than a confirmed current Magic Chef offering.

• 1988

  Divest the heating and air-conditioning operationM&A

  Background

  Magic Chef's business included home furnaces and air conditioners in addition to cooking appliances.

  Action taken

  The heating and cooling operation was sold to Lennox International.

  Aftermath

  The divestiture reduced Magic Chef's exposure to heating and air conditioning and emphasized its appliance-brand heritage.

  Source

• 1986

  Sell Magic Chef to MaytagM&A

  Background

  Magic Chef had grown into a substantial industrial company with appliance, laundry, heating, and cooling activities.

  Action taken

  Maytag acquired Magic Chef for $740 million.

  Aftermath

  The brand entered Maytag's appliance portfolio, beginning a later sequence of ownership changes that included Whirlpool's acquisition of Maytag.

  Acquisition price. $740 million (1986)

  Source

• 1974

  Expand into laundry servicesM&A

  Background

  Magic Chef sought to broaden its activities beyond cooking appliances and related household equipment.

  Action taken

  The company acquired the Norge Village Laundry & Dry Cleaners chain.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition added a laundry-service business to Magic Chef's broader corporate portfolio.

  Source

• 1958

  Sell the company to Dixie ProductsM&A

  Background

  Following its 1957 merger with Food Giant Markets of California, Magic Chef sold certain underperforming divisions.

  Action taken

  The remaining Magic Chef business was sold to Dixie Products, a stove manufacturer in Cleveland, Tennessee.

  Aftermath

  Magic Chef continued under new ownership with its core stove and appliance identity intact.

  Source

• 1951

  Adopt the Magic Chef name as the corporate identityStrategy

  Background

  The Magic Chef brand had become strongly associated with ovens and stoves and was more commercially effective than the American Stove name.

  Action taken

  American Stove Company changed its corporate name to Magic Chef, Inc.

  Aftermath

  The change formalized Magic Chef's identity as a major American cooking-appliance company.

  Source

• Operate Magic Chef under CNA International and MC ApplianceStrategy

  Background

  Following its period within the Maytag and Whirlpool corporate structures, Magic Chef was separated from those companies.

  Action taken

  CNA International Inc. and MC Appliance Corporation took responsibility for importing and marketing products under the Magic Chef name and other appliance brands.

  Aftermath

  Magic Chef continued as an active appliance brand, with a more focused portfolio than the historical Magic Chef industrial company.

  Source

• 2006

  Magic Chef becomes part of the Whirlpool-Maytag portfolio[1]Magic Chefen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Whirlpool Corporation acquired Maytag, indirectly placing Magic Chef within the Whirlpool corporate portfolio before the brand was later separated from that ownership structure.

• 1988

  Magic Chef's heating and air-conditioning operation is sold to Lennox[1]Magic Chefen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  The furnaces and air-conditioners operation associated with Magic Chef was sold to Lennox International, narrowing the brand's industrial scope.

• 1986

  Maytag acquires Magic Chef[1]Magic Chefen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Maytag acquired Magic Chef for $740 million, bringing the appliance brand into the Maytag corporate portfolio.

• 1974

  Magic Chef acquires Norge Village Laundry & Dry Cleaners[1]Magic Chefen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Magic Chef expanded beyond cooking appliances by purchasing the Norge Village Laundry & Dry Cleaners chain.

• 1958

  Dixie Products acquires Magic Chef[1]Magic Chefen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  After divesting several underperforming divisions, Magic Chef was sold to Dixie Products, a stove manufacturer headquartered in Cleveland, Tennessee.

• 1957

  Magic Chef merges with Food Giant Markets of California[1]Magic Chefen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Magic Chef underwent a corporate merger with Food Giant Markets of California as part of the ownership changes affecting the appliance business.

• 1951

  Magic Chef changes corporate name from American Stove Company[1]Magic Chefen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The success of the Magic Chef name in the oven and stove market led American Stove Company to adopt Magic Chef, Inc. as its corporate identity.

• 1929

  American Stove Company begins using the Magic Chef brand[1]Magic Chefen.wikipedia.org

  Other · Product generation

  American Stove Company adopted Magic Chef as a brand name for its cooking appliances. The name became closely associated with ovens and stoves and later replaced American Stove in the corporate name.

• Magic Chef is transferred to CNA International[1]Magic Chefen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Magic Chef was subsequently spun out from the Whirlpool-Maytag ownership structure and became associated with CNA International and MC Appliance Corporation, which import and market appliances under multiple brands.

1. 1Magic Chefen.wikipedia.org