Hilti Is Ending Its in-Store Relationship with Home Depot

Hilti is ending its in-store relationship with Home Depot after 13 years of the manufacturer's high-end tools being sold in the home improvement stores. The move affects 242 people nationwide but none in Tulsa, said Leah Kelso, director of communications and branding for Hilti Corp. Kelso said the company is working to place employees elsewhere if possible and devising severance packages for others. Atlanta-based Home Depot Inc. will still sell Hilti products online and through custom orders at its in-store professional desk, but the items won't be available for purchase in the big-box stores. Hilti tools will be available at Home Depot tool rental desks, however. The Hilti ProShops will officially be phased out over the next 180 days. Kelso described the agreement as a mutual decision between Home Depot and Hilti. Schaan, Liechtenstein-based Hilti, which maintains its North American headquarters in Tulsa, started selling its tools at Home Depot locations in 1999, putting a Hilti employee in select stores as a specialist in its products. Hilti has 625 employees at its headquarters in Tulsa, most of whom are in sales and administrative positions. Source: Tulsa World