MOORESVILLE — Lowe’s, the home improvement retailer, announced on Wednesday the start of a multi-year national rollout of tool rental departments.
The retailer will open its first Lowe’s Tool Rental department in Charlotte, N.C. on Thursday.
According to the press release, Lowe’s describes the new department as a “one-stop-shop for all the tools and equipment Pros and DIY customers need to complete home improvement projects.”
“For all of our customers, having the right tool is key to every project, but they may not always want to purchase a new tool or piece of equipment. Lowe’s Tool Rental helps customers save on the cost of owning, maintaining and storing the tools they need,” Fred Stokes, senior vice president of Pro Sales and Services for Lowe’s, said in a statement.
The tool department announcement comes on the heels of the retailer’s stronger-than-expected second-quarter earnings report, driven by a surge in do-it-yourself (DIY) home improvement projects during COVID-19 lockdowns.
The tool rental department will offer new commercial-grade equipment. There will also be an assortment of drain cleaning, restoration, sanitation, and concrete tools as well as other merchandise for those projects.
The retailer will also deploy technology, including online reservations and self-service kiosks, to enable easy check-in and check-out services. Curbside pickup will also be available for rental services.
The rental department will also have associates on-site to provide demonstrations and a mechanic shop to service tools.
Lowe’s will either expand an existing store or include the approximately 4,000-square-foot tool rental department on its property.
At the end of the quarter, Lowe’s had 1,968 home improvement and hardware stores in the U.S. and Canada.
The release is available here.
This story is from the North Carolina Business News Wire, a service of UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Media and Journalism
