Stanley Black & Decker is launching over a thousand new tools.
I posted about their new Craftsman V20 cordless drills, new Craftsman cordless power tools and combo kits, and showed off more of the new stuff on our Instagram channel.
There have been some questions as to where you will be able to buy these new tools.
Craftsman will be launching the new tools at Lowes stores (and online). There are other partners as well, such as Ace Hardware, and Amazon.
To answer a question that came up a few times, NO, you will NOT be able to buy any of the new tools at Sears.
Pointing back to our announcement of the Stanley Black & Decker acquisition of the Craftsman brand, there are 3 key points. The following are Stanley Black & Decker statements regarding their new ownership of the Craftsman brand.
Obtaining Rights To Develop, Manufacture And Sell Craftsman Brand In Non-Sears Retail, Industrial & Online Channels
Sears To Continue Developing, Sourcing & Selling Craftsman In All Sears Retail Channels Under Perpetual License Agreement.
Perpetual License Allowing Sears To Continue Selling In Sears-Related Channels (Royalty-Free For 15 Years, 3% Thereafter).
Translation (or at least my interpretation): Stanley Black & Decker can develop, manufacture, and sell Craftsman tools as they please, Sears can continue developing and selling their own Craftsman tools, royalty-free for 15 years, after which Sears will have to pay royalties to Black & Decker.
Additionally, on Craftsman’s FAQ, they have this question. Will Sears continue to sell Craftsman Products?
Yes, Sears will continue sourcing, marketing and selling Craftsman-branded products in their stores, independent from Stanley Black & Decker.
For what it’s worth, I also asked about this at the recent media event, and I was told the same.
One reader mentioned asking a Sears Twitter rep if they can buy the new Craftsman power tools at Sears, and the reply they received started with “we plan to!” Given everything I know and understand about current Craftsman brand arrangements, that is simply wrong.
At this time, Stanley Black & Decker has not announced any plans to distribute any of their new offerings through Sears.
As I understand it, Lowes will the primary retail partner, and we should see product shipping from Amazon at some point too – possibly in time for the holidays.
P.S. The image above turned out to be fairly accurate. The new Craftsman brand showed off all of those tools at their recent event, and then some.
