All the same, the company's new products at the recent National Hardware Show included two pruners with colorful translucent handles, with obvious female appeal. Another factor that affects purchasing is a gardener's level of interest. Another exception is Kmart's Martha Stewart line, which features stylish tools inspired by unusual tools from Stewart's own garden shed. But at the same time mass retailers have focused on basic tools, home centers are now getting products from companies such as Corona Clipper, which previously sold its professional landscape tools solely in garden centers. With gardening experience under their belt, consumers who have moved beyond weekend maintenance dabbler are increasingly trading up in tools.
People have an intimate relationship with their tools.
Despite the fact that lawn and garden is still a seasonal category for most mass retailers, continued growth in category sales is prompting a heightened emphasis on tools. Product innovations, in particular new items designed for females, are giving the category a needed boost. Lebhar-Friedman, Inc. in association with The Gale Group and LookSmart.