Sears To Start Selling Craftsman Tools Through Costco

(DQD)

Do you like Sears’ brand of Craftsman tools but don’t like shopping at Sears? Well, this might be good news for you. The retail chain has announced you will be able to buy Craftsman wares at Costco stores as early as this coming weekend.

Though Costco isn’t the first non-Sears store to sell Craftsman — Kmart stores began stocking the brand after that chain was bought by Sears, and a number of Ace Hardware stores recently began selling them — but this deal could be a sign that Sears is finally willing to test whether its house brands can make them more money by being sold through a company that could be labeled a competitor.

Sears sales have fallen for five consecutive years, but Craftsmen has remained the market leader for hand and power tools for the home. But even that percentage is slowly dipping, meaning it was time for Sears to make one its signature brands more accessible to others.

“As we externalize the brand, we’re trying to be thoughtful about reaching shoppers we aren’t reaching at Sears today,” the general manager of the Craftsman brand tells the Chicago Tribune. “It’s an opportunity to bring the equity of this product to households that aren’t going to Sears.”

Sears Holdings drills into Costco clubs with Craftsman tool offerings, hopes to tap new customers [Chicago Tribune]

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