According to an article at Tulsa World, Hilti is pulling its power tools out of Home Depot’s physical stores. Hilti has had a relationship with Home Depot that started back in 1999. So for more than 13 years the company has made its high-end tools available on the shelves of the home improvement store. The decision could see the end, or at least the modification of over 240 jobs around the country, according to Leah Kelso, director of communications and branding for Hilti Corp. Most of these are Hilti specialists that actually worked within the Home Depot store (many in Hilti pro shops) to assist with product information, sales and service. Hilti will apparently try to relocate these employees to other locations or job duties if at all possible. For others this may involve severance packages.
Home Depot will apparently still sell Hilti products on the Home Depot website as well as through its in-store professional desk. And Hilti has indicated, per the article, that it will also be available at Home Depot’s tool rental desks. The Hilti Pro Shops, which are currently located within select Home Depot stores, will be phased out over the next 6 months.
Hilti has 625 employees at its headquarters in Tulsa, most of whom are in sales and administrative positions.
