If you've ever spent much time walking around the power tool section of your local hardware store, then you've probably noticed that most stores only carry a limited selection of brands. Even the biggest major retail chains don't sell everything. You may even notice that some of the most popular power tool brands are missing from their inventory.
Lowe's, for instance, is one of the largest brick-and-mortar power tool outlets in the country, but they don't carry Ryobi products in their stores or even
online despite Ryobi being one of the most recognizable and budget-friendly major tool brands on the market. Lowe's sells DeWalt, Craftsman, Bosch, Flex, Black & Decker, Skil, and a wide range of other reputable brands, but the green and black Ryobi products are conspicuously absent from its shelves.
This might seem like a curious omission, but there is a simple explanation for why Lowe's doesn't sell Ryobi products. Despite the Ryobi brand of power tools being Japanese in origin, the company has been affiliated with Home Depot for several years. What's more, a major condition of that partnership is that Ryobi not sell its products through other retail outlets in the U.S. You might still be able to purchase Ryobi products from certain online retailers such as Amazon, but Home Depot is the only physical location that is allowed to carry them in the U.S.
Read more: 12 Ryobi Tools Even Haters Of The Brand Will Love
Ryobi Is A Home Depot-Affiliated Brand
Ryobi has a fairly unique history for a power tool brand. The company was founded in Hiroshima, Japan, back in 1943 under the name Ryobi Seisakusho Co. It became a publicly traded entity in 1961, entered the power tools market in 1968, and started its first cordless power tool brand in 1996. Ryobi operated more or less like any other independent power tool brand during this period, but in the year 2000, the company entered into an agreement with The Home Depot in which it became the store's exclusive partner.
"We're proud to have RYOBI as an exclusive partner of The Home Depot, " the company's vice president of merchandising, Jim Recore, states. "RYOBI continues to improve power and run time every season, and we're always excited to bring that innovation to our stores and our customers."
Ryobi split into two separate companies in 2018. A controlling interest of Ryobi Limited's ownership shares was transferred to the Kyocera Group in Japan, which continued to run the power tool side of the business. Meanwhile, the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand lawn and garden equipment production was taken over by the Hong Kong-based company, Techtronic Industries. TTI would also later go on to take over the power tool business in these regions as well. But despite all these changes in ownership over the years, Ryobi has remained steadfast in its partnership with Home Depot and still does not sell its products through other physical retailers.
Lowe's Has Kobalt
Just because Home Depot has a lock on Ryobi doesn't mean that Lowe's doesn't have its own affordable power tool brand. Kobalt is owned by Lowe's and serves as the retail chain's official store brand in a very similar capacity to the way Ryobi serves Home Depot. Like Ryobi, Kobalt's tools are largely offered as a budget alternative to other name brands, with the vast majority of its products being marked at significantly lower prices than the competitors you're likely to find in the store. This places them in a position where the brand's first priority isn't necessarily competing to be the top performer, but is more aimed at offering a solid price-to-performance ratio for budget-conscious buyers.
Kobalt has its own 24V battery system for cordless tools. The company doesn't have quite as big a range of products as Ryobi, but Kobalt makes a lot of essentials that you might want for your garage. It manufactures saws, drills, drivers, sanders, and other major power tools as well as outdoor power equipment like blowers, mowers, string trimmers, chain saws, and hedge trimmers. It also makes a wide range of accessories for these tools and several other non-powered products such as wood axes, wheelbarrows, tampers, and some excellent rolling toolboxes.
So, those who are set on getting Ryobi tools will either need to order online or commute to the nearest Home Depot, but those who are simply looking for an affordable power tool brand might consider giving the Kobalt tools a look next time they visit their local Lowe's.
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Read the original article on SlashGear.
