Walmart is ramping up its private-brand strategy with a major overhaul of its home and hardware categories. The retail giant announced Wednesday that it is revamping its hardware department to include an exclusive Greenworks Pro tool line and expanded Hyper Tough offerings.
At the same time, Walmart is officially launching Mainstays Kids. This represents the first new home brand the company has introduced in five years.
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Courtney Carlson, a senior vice president at Walmart, told FOX Business that the new strategy is centered on delivering more choice, innovation, and value to customers. The company recognizes that shoppers are looking for quality options during periods of economic uncertainty.
"We always seek to bring the most assortment to our customers so that they have choice, variety, and so that we can provide many solutions for them," Carlson said. "Our private brands are an important part of that strategy because what we see is that we build brands that bring unmatched quality through exclusive designs, innovation, and value to our customers."
Continued demand from do-it-yourself shoppers helped drive the decision to aggressively reboot the hardware department. Walmart hopes to capture more of the lucrative home improvement market.
"For us, it's about investing in what we see our customers doing, and we have a lot of DIY customers," Carlson said.
The launch of Mainstays Kids comes as parents increasingly look for more personalized and design-focused spaces for their children. The company views this as a massive growth opportunity.
"What we saw is that parents really want to invest in their kids' rooms, design in their kids' rooms, and they see it as an extension of their own home," Carlson said. "But they want it to be able to be really special to what their kids love."
Carlson added that Walmart developed the new brand with extensive feedback from both parents and children throughout the entire design process. The retailer actually tested the products directly with families to ensure maximum appeal.
"We put the customer at the center and developed and designed with them the whole way through," Carlson said.
This major expansion of Walmart’s private-brand strategy follows the company’s broader investment in its physical footprint. Walmart announced plans last month to remodel more than 650 of its stores around the country.
The retailer also plans to open about 20 new stores in 2026 and early 2027. This push comes as retailers increasingly use owned brands and exclusive assortments to compete on price and appeal to value-focused shoppers.
"This investment is intended to create jobs, help strengthen local economies, and make shopping faster and more convenient for our customers," Walmart said in a statement. The company added that the new stores and remodels will drive construction jobs while creating long-term roles in retail and pharmacy leadership.