Money | General Electric GE to Sell Appliances Unit Auction could fetch up to $8 billion By John Johnson Posted May 14, 2008 6:17 PM CDT Copied General Electric Co. CEO Jeff Immelt, right, waits for the start of the company's annual shareholders meeting, Wednesday, April 23, 2008, in Erie, Pa. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) General Electric plans to get out of the appliance business after more than 100 years, the Wall Street Journal reports. The company has asked Goldman Sachs to help auction its so-called "white goods" unit—washers, dryers, refrigerators, ranges, etc.—for up to $8 billion. The move follows weak first-quarter earnings and fits into CEO Jeffrey Immelt's plan to focus more on the company's technology holdings. Read These Next One critical island in Iran has remained unscathed in airstrikes. Iran's new supreme leader is said to already have war wounds. For the first time in decades, team pulls out of World Cup. Retired general, UFO expert has been missing for 11 days. Get breaking news in your inbox. What you need to know, as soon as we know it. Sign up Report an error