Barbara's Way Partners With Stanley(R) and Totes Isotoner(R) and Launches New Product Lines Designed and Marketed Specifically for Women

NEW YORK, April 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Barbara Kavovit, known in the DIY and home improvement world as Barbara K, is expanding her Barbara's Way brand by partnering with industry leaders, including Stanley to produce high-quality, affordable tools designed especially for women. Through the Stanley licensing partnership, products will first roll out into all Walmart stores in May 2010 and continue throughout the summer of 2010.

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100429/CL95518-a )

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100429/CL95518-b )

Barbara's Way and its partners are aware that with recent changes in the interests of women, hardware purchases are not exclusively "the man's" domain. The Home Improvement Survey 2009 by the Medelia Monitor: The Voice of Women in America found that 60% of women in the U.S. consider themselves to be moderately or very handy. In fact, the study found that women make 90% of home improvement decisions, and that more and more women are "tightening their tool belts" to tackle DIY projects at home - 64% of women are now more likely to tackle the work themselves than they were just two years ago.

In Stanley's own consumer research, 78% of women were interested in buying products designed for them for top home improvement projects including general maintenance, painting and remodeling.   Catering to this demand, the new Stanley Barbara's Way assortment includes storage organization products and 20+ hand tools priced from $4.99 to $19.99. Storage boxes, multi-compartment organizers, and soft storage bags will expand from 200 to all Walmart stores in the U.S. from May to August 2010.  Hand tools launched in select stores in the U.S. and expansion is anticipated as well. Both storage organizers and select hand tools will be offered in all Walmart stores in Canada in time for Mother's Day in Canada. 

In addition to the Stanley partnership, Barbara's Way has continued to build upon its DIY home improvement empire by partnering with Totes-Isotoner to create a comprehensive line of Isotoner Barbara's Way gardening, cleaning and household gloves for the fashion conscious women ($14.99-$19.99) which debuted nationally on www.HomeDepot.com in April and are also available on her website www.barbarasway.com.  The gloves come in six styles (with unique attributes like a detachable cleaning cloth or a rubber grip palm to make turning easier and free trigger finger for detailed work and convenient cell and smart phone access) and in three fashionable colors (purple, pink and green) each along with user friendly tips.

Debuting this past August in partnership with Masco subsidiaries BrassCraft® and Cobra™ were the Barbara's Way Ultimate Toilet Repair Kit and Barbara's Way Ultimate Drain Cleaning Kit.  Both are also currently available in select Wal-Mart stores for $19.99 and $14.99 respectively.  

"I am thrilled to build upon these partnerships," says Barbara K. "To help satisfy the demand of an underserved category for women in the home improvement sector is very gratifying. Now women can feel even more comfortable by using my products to improve their home."

A leading expert in her field, Barbara K has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Parade, Forbes, O: The Oprah Magazine and People Magazine, among other print outlets.  Her numerous television appearances include The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, Fox & Friends, more than a half-dozen segments on the WE Network, HGTV's  25 Biggest Home Renovating Mistakes and, appeared as an expert on the Style Network's new show What I Hate About Myself . She writes the columns "Invest in Your Nest" and "Getting Their Fix Barbara's Way" for The New York Post's real estate section, and is the author of Invest In Your Nest: Add Style, Comfort, and Value To Your Home (Rodale) and Room for Improvement: Change Your Home! Enhance Your Life! With: Tools, Tips and Inspiration from Barbara K! (Rodale).

Barbara's Way is a brand that licenses its trademark and the unique style and trend setting colors of its "Trade Dress" to leading independent third-party manufacturers seeking to attract women 25-54 to their products. Barbara's Way concurrently offers its partners product development, packaging design, instructional materials, marketing, publicity, and spokesperson expertise.

For more information, videos and how-to instructions, visit http://www.barbarasway.com/.

Follow Barbara K on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BarbarasWay

Be a Facebook fan: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Barbaras-Way/163890131752?ref=ts

About Stanley

Stanley® tools (http://www.stanleytools.com/) are a product of Stanley Black and Decker a leading worldwide manufacturer of hand tools for product categories including marking & layout, cutting & clamping, assembly & demolition, automotive, storage solutions, and illumination. For over 165 years, the Stanley® brand has been synonymous with quality, reliability and innovation. Its widely recognized brands include Stanley®, FatMax® and Bostitch®.

SOURCE Barbara's Way