About a 20-minute drive west from downtown Las Vegas, where the world's largest IT and home appliance expo, "CES 2026," is being held, sits the upscale residential complex "Spring Valley." LG Electronics has set up a model house there for its premium built-in appliance brand "SKS" and is locked in fierce competition with local appliance makers over the business-to-business (B2B) market.
On Jan. 8 local time, we visited the SKS model house in Spring Valley. An LG Electronics official said it is "a space that showcases the harmony of a neat, orderly luxury interior and the refined design of 'SKS.'"
As of 2024, the population of the Las Vegas metropolitan area was about 2.4 million, up nearly 2% from the previous year. Las Vegas is both a world-renowned tourist destination known as the "global entertainment capital" and a residential area drawing attention for its distinctive desert scenery and stable living infrastructure.
◇ U.S. consumers choose "SKS" even with additional expense
The Spring Valley area includes communities called Caprock, The Pointe, and Incline. Built this year by Pulte, the No. 3 builder in the United States, it is a new luxury housing development of about 300 homes outfitted with premium appliances and furniture. Each home ranges from about 362m² to about 450m². The price of a home, including appliances and furniture, is about $2 million (about 2.9 billion won). That is roughly five times higher than the U.S. national median home price in Nov. 2024 (about 600 million won).
Homes supplied by Pulte come standard with a lineup from Whirlpool, a U.S. home appliance brand. However, 90% of customers among the roughly 300 households in the area chose SKS for their kitchen appliances. Switching from Whirlpool to SKS incurs an additional expense of more than about $20,000 (about 29 million won).
In the centrally located kitchen inside the home, SKS built-in appliances are harmoniously arranged with the marble interior. The island refrigerator, installed as if it were part of the cabinetry, has an indicator light near the handle that shows the current temperature when the door opens, along with temperature controls. Each drawer can be set from -23℃ to 10℃, allowing it to switch between refrigerator and freezer as needed.
The 30-inch double wall oven steam combo draws attention not only with its design but also with its array of features. An LG Electronics official said, "Its large capacity easily handles big meat dishes for U.S.-style parties, and with a steam-based sous vide function, it can preserve moist juices," adding, "By linking with the LG ThinQ app, you can easily check the cooking process on a smartphone anytime, and by adding a little water and pressing the Speed Clean function, it easily removes grease inside the oven."
▲Products installed here also include the "Pro Range," which features a high-output gas cooktop and a digital dial that shows a per-burner timer, and a 42-inch side-by-side refrigerator-freezer with ice and water dispensers. Along with these, SKS supplies North American customers with a wide range of products, including ▲column wine cellars ▲dishwashers ▲induction cooktops.
◇ U.S. builder sales post double-digit growth for 2 straight years… Threatening "traditional powerhouses" GE and Whirlpool
Beyond the premium built-in brand "SKS," LG Electronics is targeting the U.S. B2B appliance market by widening consumer choice with offerings across various price points, including ▲the built-in designs "LG Signature" and "Zero Clearance" (Korean name "Fit & Max") ▲the "LG Pro Builder Package" for single-person households.
In the U.S. built-in appliance market, GE and Whirlpool effectively split the field. Since LG Electronics began supplying products to Lennar, the No. 2 builder in the United States, in 2024, it has rapidly grown the business and disrupted that landscape.
Last year, LG Electronics posted more than 40% year-over-year sales growth in the U.S. builder market. Following about 64% year-over-year sales growth in 2024, it achieved strong gains for the second straight year. It is boosting its influence by signing an exclusive home appliance supply contract with Century Communities Inc., one of the top 10 U.S. builders last year.
The company said, "LG Pro Builder, our dedicated sales organization for builders, has expanded partnerships centered on leading U.S. builders by promoting a 'total space solution' that offers tailored proposals for appliances and HVAC depending on diverse living environments," adding, "The number of annual builder contract wins by LG Pro Builder last year rose more than 25% from the previous year."
Word of mouth is cited as the reason LG Electronics was able to grow quickly in the U.S. builder market. An LG Electronics official said, "As positive reviews emerged from real users for appliances that emphasize high quality, the business grew."
Last year, LG Electronics ranked highest for the sixth straight year among full-line appliance companies that make products in all eight major categories in Consumer Reports' survey of the "most reliable appliance brands" in the United States. In that survey, SKS also ranked sixth, putting both brands in the top 25.
At the end of last year, LG Electronics created the HS B2B Overseas Sales unit under the HS Business Division in a reorganization. The aim is to further speed the expansion of its B2B home appliance business centered on built-ins and builders. The size of the LG Pro Builder organization grew more than fivefold last year compared with its early days in 2023. The company will keep expanding logistics hubs to establish a stable product supply network across the United States. It is also strengthening a "Two Track" strategy that targets both the premium and volume zones.
An LG Electronics official said, "This year we will focus on expanding the product portfolio to target the volume zone," adding, "With a broad lineup suited to various living environments, including single-family homes, apartments, and studios, we are widening customer choice and building competitiveness in winning builder contracts."