In spite of the barrage of barriers against imports - mostly Korean brands - Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics kept up lead in the U.S. home appliance market.

According to market research firm TraQlin, Samsung Electronics ended the final quarter with a share of 21.0 percent in the U.S. home appliance market in sales value. It was a gain of 2.3 percentage points from a year ago, allowing the Korean electronics giant to take the lead in the market for the seventh consecutive quarter. It was also the first time for its quarterly share to exceed 20 percent in the U.S. white goods market.

For full 2017, Samsung’s share in the America’s key home appliance market rose 2.2 percentage points on year to 19.5 percent, making it the best-selling brand for the second consecutive year. Its share in the country has nearly doubled in just three years. In 2014, it accounted for mere 11.5 percent of the U.S. home appliance market.

LG Electronics Inc. last year elbowed out previous year’s runner-up, American appliance maker Whirlpool Corp. and became No.2, according to the research firm. It won a 15.7 percent share of the U.S. home appliance market in 2017, unchanged from 2016.

LG nevertheless moved up because American home appliance giant Whirlpool’s share fell 1.2 percentage points on year to 15.4 percent. General Electric’s share was down 0.1 percent to 13.5 percent and Kenmore’s down 1.3 percentage points to 9.1 percent, ranking fourth and fifth in the market, respectively.

Samsung’s stellar performance was largely driven by refrigerators and washers, especially those in the high-end segments such as FlexWash, which comes with two washer units - one with a large load and the other with a small load - in one machine, and French-door refrigerator Family Hub.

In the U.S. refrigerator market, Samsung claimed a 23.9 percent share in the fourth quarter and a 22.7 percent share for full 2017. Each figure is a record high. It commanded a 21.5 percent share in the U.S. washer market and retained the top for the sixth consecutive quarter. For full 2017, its share reached 20.1 percent, placing it in the lead for the second year in a row.

The latest result is a meaningful win for Samsung Electronics that is facing the U.S. government’s import restrictions. Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump approved the U.S. International Trade Commission’s recommendations to impose safeguard tariffs on imports of large residential washing machines from Korea. While seeking to file a petition with the World Trade Organization, Samsung Electronics has pulled up the opening date of its American washer plant in South Carolina to this month to reduce tariffs.

By Hwang Hyung-gyu and Cho Jeehyun

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