Sunbeam Launches Electric "Blanket With A Brain"; The First in a Series of Innovative Products for Japan

Business Wire, Nov 11, 1997

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 12, 1997--Sunbeam Corporation (NYSE:SOC), a leading international consumer products company based in Delray Beach, Florida, announced today the launch of its innovative Blanket With A Brain(R) electric warming blanket in Japan.

Sunbeam is the leading manufacturer of electric blankets in the United States with over a 95% share of the market and in 1997 has begun marketing and distributing electric blankets to China, Taiwan, Great Britain and now Japan.

Al Dunlap, Sunbeam's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated "Sunbeam continues to focus its energy on developing new, innovative products that meet consumer's needs. In addition to new products we are also focusing our efforts on building a strong and significant international business in which Japan is a very important market. With the launch of our Blanket With A Brain(R) in Japan, we are confident that Sunbeam will achieve dramatic growth in the market place. Our three year goal is to triple the size of our international business."

Sunbeam's Blanket With A Brain(R) uses the patented Personal Monitoring (Wiring) System (PMS). The unique Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) wire senses body temperature and room temperature and sends more warmth to those areas of the body that need it and less to those areas that do not. The Blanket With A Brain(R) also heats up much faster than conventional thermostatically controlled electric blankets and no pre-heat is required. The product is machine washable and is thicker and softer than most blankets now available in the Japanese market. The products have been sold in the U.S. for over a decade and global sales are accelerating in 1997.

The product is selling at 9,500 yen, plus a handling charge of 600 yen for packing and shipping charge, before the 5% consumption tax. Two colors are available, champagne and blue. Orders can be placed by calling Japan Jyuchu (Order Placement) Center, Tokyo. A one-year free warranty is offered for the blankets.

For details on the specifications, features and characteristics on the Blanket With A Brain(R) being introduced in Japan, as well as on the Company, refer to the respective backgrounders listed below.

Contact: Sunbeam International (Asia) Limited GCI SunPub Co. Ltd.

Joyce Woo Nick Nishida

(852) 2956-1902 (03) 3452-7005

Sunbeam Corporation is a leading consumer products company that designs, manufactures and markets, nationally and internationally, a diverse portfolio of brand name products. The Company's Sunbeam(R) and Oster(R) brands have been household names for generations, both domestically and abroad, and the Company is a market leader in many of its product categories.

CONTACT: Media: Investors:

Nicole Reilly Rich Goudis

212/885-0353 Vice President Investor Relations

561/243-2100