• by Karl Greenberg , September 15, 2009

The Home Depot is picking up where Kmart and Lowe's have left off. The do-it-yourself chain has signed an agreement with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO) to develop a Martha Stewart Living brand of home improvement products in select categories, including Outdoor Living, Home Organization and Home Decor.

Martha Stewart's long-term deal with Kmart -- which has been in place for over a decade -- expires early next year, and its deal with Lowe's recently ended. The company however, is continuing its arrangement with Macy's, which sells Martha Stewart-branded housewares.

The Home Depot says all of the new products will be available in its stores across both the U.S. and Canada, as well as at homedepot.com. It has more than 2,200 retail stores in the United States.

MSLO Executive Chairman and Principal Executive Officer Charles Koppelman said in a statement that the partnership "allows MSLO to significantly broaden our reach and expand our business."

The Outdoor Living line will comprise patio dining and conversation sets ranging in price from $399 to $1,999, while the Home Organization category will feature a new closet organization system and a nine-cube organizational unit, per the company.

Products in the Outdoor Living category will begin to launch in January 2010 in the United States and February 2010 in Canada. Products in the Home Organization categories will launch in February 2010. The Home Decor category will also be part of the launch, per the company.

A spokesperson for The Home Depot says this is the first time the company has partnered with Martha Stewart, and that while it is developing marketing plans around the Martha Stewart branded product lines, specifics are still being hashed out. Also, per the spokesperson, there will be brand extensions next year. "There will be additional products in different categories rolled out in 2010," she tells Marketing Daily.