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Lowe’s offers kid’s events, loyalty program as Americans buy homes later

admin — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 20:47:35 +0000

Near expansive aisles of home improvement supplies, some of Lowe’s tiniest shoppers worked this Saturday on do-it-yourself projects of their own.

The children, some as young as 3, sported miniature versions of the retailer’s signature red aprons while hammering together washing machine-themed piggy banks at the retailer’s kids’ workshop at the company’s store in North Bergen, New Jersey.

Lowe’s is trying to attract a younger audience — though it hasn’t suddenly found an untapped market for home improvement spending from preschoolers. When the retailer this month relaunched its Kids Club program and began handing out lollipops to children who visit its stores, it was really a step in a strategy to win more business from younger parents, especially those who aren’t yet homeowners.

It’s not just young parents, though. Lowe’s wants to reel in new shoppers from the Gen Z and millennial generations, which are buying homes later than their parents did. Other moves to win over the cohorts include adding a wider array of merchandise through its third-party marketplace and tapping into a network of influencers on social media.

The company wants to attract more frequent store and website visits as the U.S. housing market remains sluggish, consumers put off homebuying until later in life and higher prices of everyday expenses cause more people to postpone big purchases and projects like kitchen renovations. It is adding some of the features through My Lowe’s Rewards, a customer loyalty program for DIY shoppers, which the company launched two years ago and which has grown to over 30 million members.

“What we’ve been challenged with from a marketing perspective and a total brand perspective is how to drive relevancy among consumers who aren’t in the homeowner category or who desire to be in the homeowner category, but aren’t financially able to do that,” Lowe’s Chief Marketing Officer Jen Wilson said.

Lowe’s relaunched its Kids Club, a free workshop where children can tackle their own do-it-yourself projects. The workshop was recently held at its store in Matthews, North Carolina.

Courtesy of Lowe’s

She said that has encouraged the home improvement retailer to think about “driving relevancy in new ways,” including adding more events and seeking out surprising or buzzy merchandise that may catch the attention of a potential shopper on TikTok.

That’s where kids fit in, too. She said one of Lowe’s surprising findings from market research was the strong influence of children in shaping where their parents choose to shop, especially for millennial parents.

Home Depot and Lowe’s stores

Getty Images

Putting off projects

As home prices and borrowing costs have risen, more Americans have postponed homeownership, a life stage that tends to nudge people toward springing for purchases of paint or hardware, or hiring home improvement professionals like electricians or plumbers. The median age of a first-time homebuyer is now 40 years old, an all-time high, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Home improvement sales have dropped off since the years of the Covid pandemic. Lowe’s expects its total sales to be $86 billion this year. That would represent an increase from $83.7 billion a year ago, but it would be lower than each of the four years before that. Lowe’s also expects comparable sales, an industry metric that excludes one-time factors like store openings and closures, to be flat compared to a year ago.

Compared to its rival Home Depot, Lowe’s relies more heavily on DIY shoppers. About 70% of its sales come from those consumers, with the remainder from home professionals like contractors, roofers and electricians that homeowners typically hire, according to the company.

Home Depot, on the other hand, has historically drawn about half of its sales from home pros and half from DIY shoppers.

Executives from both Lowe’s and Home Depot have said they have seen lower demand for big-ticket items and pricier projects, which they have chalked up to slower housing turnover and economic uncertainty. Housing turnover typically encourages projects, as homeowners spruce up their homes before a sale or fix it up when moving in.

In the meantime, both companies have focused on drawing more pros, which tend to be bigger and more reliable spenders. Home Depot in 2024 acquired SRS Distribution, a Texas-based company that sells supplies to professionals in the landscaping, pool and roofing businesses, in the largest acquisition in its history at $18.25 billion. It’s bought other companies, too, including building-products distributor GMS last year.

Lowe’s made two of its own pro-focused acquisitions last year. It bought Foundation Building Materials, a distributor of drywall, insulation and other interior building products for large residential and commercial professionals, and Artisan Design Group, which provides design services and installation of flooring, cabinets and countertops for homebuilders and property managers.

In the coming year, however, Lowe’s larger reliance on do-it-yourself shoppers may give the company an edge, said Chuck Grom, a retail analyst for Gordon Haskett Equity Research. He upgraded the company’s stock earlier this month from a hold to a buy rating because of signs of an improving housing backdrop.

While the housing market is still challenged, furniture sales have picked up in recent quarters and more consumers appear to be getting used to higher borrowing costs as the “new normal,” Grom said. About 35% of consumers said in the equity research firm’s most recent quarterly survey that they would be willing to buy a home at a 5.5% to 6% mortgage rate. That’s up from about 25% in the third-quarter survey.

The average 30-year mortgage rate has dipped slightly in recent months and was around 6.2% last week.

Those are promising signs that consumers may dip their toes back into more DIY projects, even if recovery is gradual, he said.

Shares of Lowe’s have reflected some optimism about the coming year. Its stock has lagged the S&P 500’s performance over the past year and last five years, but its stock is up about 22% in the past six months. That’s compared to Home Depot, which has seen shares rise about 4% during the same period.

Starting this month, Lowe’s is handing out lollipops at stores in the hopes of drawing in more parents and families.

Courtesy of Lowe’s

Lowe’s leans younger

One of the key goals of Lowe’s strategy is giving customers more reasons to engage with its app or website, or make visits to stores part of their routine, even between DIY projects.

Amanda Bailey, vice president of customer marketing and loyalty at Lowe’s, said the company hopes free lollipops, for example, get kids to nudge their parents to stop by a store where they may purchase a few items or give parents a longer time to linger in peace when comparing appliances in the aisles.

Lowe’s is also trying to give shoppers more reasons to join or use its loyalty program. Customers must now sign up for the free monthly Kids Club workshop through the program, and children can collect digital badges on their parents’ loyalty account for completing the projects. Customers can rack up points from purchases that become MyLowe’s money, an incentive intended to get consumers to buy everyday items like household cleaning products or lightbulbs at the retailer.

And Lowe’s plans to expand kids’ workshops, which cater to 3- to 10-year-olds, and add more complex projects for older children and teenagers, she said.

It has also tested other free events for loyalty program members at select stores, including soccer clinics for kids, a ladies’ night out with do-it-yourself projects like terrarium building and a family night out with games and hands-on activities.

“Traditionally, loyalty programs have been around rewarding the transaction,” said Bailey, who previously worked to drive loyalty at brands including Hilton and Tory Burch. “And so now we think about, how can we engage with customers in different phases of their life, in different moments of their life?”

Children participate in the Lowe’s Kids Club at the retailer’s store in Matthews, North Carolina.

Courtesy of Lowe’s

Along with its typical home improvement items, Lowe’s is trying to debut products that surprise customers or go viral on social media. Lowe’s merchandising and marketing teams have started plotting out a 12-month plan of items that the company bets could become trending products, with about three to five items debuting each quarter, Wilson said. Loyalty program members get early or exclusive access to purchase some products, Wilson said.

One of Lowe’s first drops was its branded minibucket, which recently came out in light pink. Its mini-Kobalt toolbox kit, which comes in different colors, also gained traction on social media with customers using them to organize their makeup or store school supplies.

Lowe’s has other items in the works that it hopes will create buzz. These include a scented candle and tote bag that will drop in the spring, Lowe’s busiest sales season, and a pet-themed Advent calendar for the holidays.

“These are impulse buys that are affordable and are great ways to introduce our brands to consumers who wouldn’t otherwise be thinking about us,” Wilson said.

Lowe’s also launched a creator network in June to encourage more influencers to post their do-it-yourself projects or purchases. It also partnered with well-known social media creator MrBeast, who has a storefront on the retailer’s website where customers can shop his favorite items.

And its marketplace, which launched in late 2024, has been a way to add more brands and expand categories.

Gordon Haskett’s Grom said company initiatives to gain customer loyalty, especially among younger shoppers, are important, but “are not going to move the needle right away.”

“They are trying to control what they can control,” he said. “The winds of the housing turnover are hard right now for them.”

Home Depot has also made moves of its own to attract customers, including launching a new platform for creators late last year and creating a new hub on its website with advice and ideas for new homeowners. It has also sped up customer deliveries. Over half of its deliveries are now same-day or next-day, more than triple the number in 2022, the company said at its investor day in December. And it also offers free kids’ workshops at its stores.

Yet as the home improvement retailers try to win a limited pool of business, they’re also competing with independent and specialty home improvement shops, privately held Ace Hardware and retail giants like Walmart and Amazon, which carry some of the same merchandise.

Though they may not yield immediate dividends, events will play a role in that competition moving forward. For families who came to Lowe’s kids’ workshop at the North Bergen store on Saturday, the activity was a welcome way to spend a snowy day and get their kids to work with their hands.

Ivette Crisostomo, a mom from Fort Lee, New Jersey, brought her 3-year-old son, Kai, to the workshop. She coordinated with two friends, who also brought their kids.

“This is like a set playdate for everyone,” she said. “It builds his confidence, too.”

As the event wrapped, it illustrated the goal of Lowe’s strategy. Many parents browsed the aisles after finishing the project. Crisostomo said she sometimes winds up shopping, too.

“My eyes wander and if I do need something, I’ll come to Lowe’s,” she said.

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Early education real estate is luring big money for small kids’ care

admin — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 13:13:22 +0000

A Fortec adaptive reuse project in Barrington, Illinois.

Courtesy: Fortec

A version of this article first appeared in the CNBC Property Play newsletter with Diana Olick. Property Play covers new and evolving opportunities for the real estate investor, from individuals to venture capitalists, private equity funds, family offices, institutional investors and large public companies. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox.

Rising demand from parents for early education is causing a boom in a small but fast-growing subsector of commercial real estate. The sector is so undersupplied that it’s increasingly attractive to both developers and investors.

The U.S. child-care market is currently valued at $65.2 billion and is projected to grow to $109.9 billion by 2033, according to a report from CRE brokerage B+E, citing data from Grand View Research. The surge is being driven by return-to-office trends for parents, advancements in educational technologies, and increased government funding — particularly for single and working mothers.

And real estate is a huge part of the story.

Since the end of 2024, the number of early education properties available for sale has grown by 14%, reaching a total of 158, according to B+E, which specializes in net leasing. While some operators own their facilities, a significant number of centers, especially large national chains like KinderCare and The Learning Experience use net lease structures, in which tenants are responsible for property expenses like taxes, insurance and maintenance

The number of available properties with more than 10 years remaining on their lease terms increased by 12% in 2025, according to B+E.

“This is the stuff that banks love to lend on,” said Camille Renshaw, CEO of B+E. “It shows you that the vast majority of stuff coming on the market is developers finally getting a new tenant. That is coming to the market for investors and is very exciting.”

During the pandemic, a lot of families moved to more rural areas, where there are fewer child-care facilities. Developers are looking to capitalize on these so-called child-care deserts.

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Fortec, a national developer specializing in early childhood education projects, just announced a partnership with Equiturn, a global financial advisory firm, to launch a $100 million early education real estate fund.

“The first thing that we want to do with this fund is to institutionalize this sector,” said Pablo Barreiro, chairman of Fortec. “A lot of people that invest in triple net [a type of net lease], in a lot of real estate, they’ve never heard about this sector, and it’s a very good sector, because you have really good tenants with good credit.”

In addition, there is a fundamental supply gap. Of the 14.7 million U.S. children under 6 years of age who need daily care, only 8.7 million are currently enrolled in formal programs, leaving a 6 million child shortfall, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Waitlists to enroll a child average six months, and 13% of families wait a year or more, according to the data. Even partial catch-up would materially lift center demand, despite a modest population decline in the under-6 cohort projected through 2030.

“Fifty-one percent of areas in America are what is called a child-care desert. A child-care desert means basically that [there] is three times the demand for every seat of supply that is available,” said Barreiro.

A Fortec adaptive reuse project in Barrington, Illinois.

Courtesy: Fortec

Until now, early education real estate has been largely a fragmented, local business, much like single-family rental housing. There are REITs that own some early education properties, but child care is usually a very small portion of their total holdings. The category has yet to be defined as its own asset class and scaled.

This is very similar to where senior housing or medical offices were before they became recognized as institutional real estate sectors, according to Fortec, which is looking to legitimize the subsector with its new fund.

Fortec has completed more than $230 million in transactions across 13 states over the past five years, and this fund expands that footprint. Equiturn is leading fundraising and investor outreach.

Investor interest in early childhood has previously been most significant among single- and multifamily offices, which point to its economic resilience. A recent note from Aceana Group, a Florida-based single-family office, highlighted the sector’s persistent demand and strong unit economics as well as the increasing recognition of child care as essential infrastructure rather than a discretionary service.

“Larger centres typically generate millions of dollars in annual revenue, with double-digit profit margins once occupancy stabilizes,” the Aceana note said. “Most operators lease their facilities on long-term, triple-net agreements with built-in annual escalations, which shift expenses to the tenant and provide landlords with bond-like income streams.”

This offers a hedge against inflation, making them particularly appealing in today’s environment. Institutional investors are starting to take notice.

“A lot of big institutions are investing on the operation side of early education,” said Barreiro. “I’m starting to see some of these big institutions starting to look at this now, but in order for them to invest we need to create a product that also goes with the numbers that they are looking at and also with the risk that they’re looking at.”

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Global movement to protect kids online fuels a wave of AI safety tech

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2025 08:26:01 +0000

Spotify, Reddit and X have all implemented age assurance systems to prevent children from being exposed to inappropriate content.

STR | Nurphoto via Getty Images

The global online safety movement has paved the way for a number of artificial intelligence-powered products designed to keep kids away from potentially harmful things on the internet.

In the U.K., a new piece of legislation called the Online Safety Act imposes a duty of care on tech companies to protect children from age-inappropriate material, hate speech, bullying, fraud, and child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Companies can face fines as high as 10% of their global annual revenue for breaches.

Further afield, landmark regulations aimed at keeping kids safer online are swiftly making their way through the U.S. Congress. One bill, known as the Kids Online Safety Act, would make social media platforms liable for preventing their products from harming children — similar to the Online Safety Act in the U.K.

This push from regulators is increasingly causing something of a rethink at several major tech players. Pornhub and other online pornography giants are blocking all users from accessing their sites unless they go through an age verification system.

Porn sites haven’t been alone in taking action to verify users ages, though. Spotify, Reddit and X have all implemented age assurance systems to prevent children from being exposed to sexually explicit or inappropriate materials.

Such regulatory measures have been met with criticisms from the tech industry — not least due to concerns that they may infringe internet users’ privacy.

Digital ID tech flourishing

At the heart of all these age verification measures is one company: Yoti.

Yoti produces technology that captures selfies and uses artificial intelligence to verify someone’s age based on their facial features. The firm says its AI algorithm, which has been trained on millions of faces, can estimate the age of 13 to 24-year-olds within two years of accuracy.

The firm has previously partnered with the U.K.’s Post Office and is hoping to capitalize on the broader push for government-issued digital ID cards in the U.K. Yoti is not alone in the identity verification software space — other players include Entrust, Persona and iProov. However, the company has been the most prominent provider of age assurance services under the new U.K. regime.

“There is a race on for child safety technology and service providers to earn trust and confidence,” Pete Kenyon, a partner at law firm Cripps, told CNBC. “The new requirements have undoubtedly created a new marketplace and providers are scrambling to make their mark.”

Yet the rise of digital identification methods has also led to concerns over privacy infringements and possible data breaches.

“Substantial privacy issues arise with this technology being used,” said Kenyon. “Trust is key and will only be earned by the use of stringent and effective technical and governance procedures adopted in order to keep personal data safe.”

Rani Govender, policy manager for child safety online at British child protection charity NSPCC, said that the technology “already exists” to authenticate users without compromising their privacy.

“Tech companies must make deliberate, ethical choices by choosing solutions that protect children from harm without compromising the privacy of users,” she told CNBC. “The best technology doesn’t just tick boxes; it builds trust.”

Child-safe smartphones

The wave of new tech emerging to prevent children from being exposed to online harms isn’t just limited to software.

Earlier this month, Finnish phone maker HMD Global launched a new smartphone called the Fusion X1, which uses AI to stop kids from filming or sharing nude content or viewing sexually explicit images from the camera, screen and across all apps.

The phone uses technology developed by SafeToNet, a British cybersecurity firm focused on child safety.

Finnish phone maker HMD Global’s new smartphone uses AI to prevent children from being exposed nude or sexually explicit images.

HMD Global

“We believe more needs to be done in this space,” James Robinson, vice president of family vertical at HMD, told CNBC. He stressed that HMD came up with the concept for children’s devices prior to the Online Safety Act entering into force, but noted it was “great to see the government taking greater steps.”

The release of HMD’s child-friendly phone follows heightened momentum in the “smartphone-free” movement, which encourages parents to avoid letting their children own a smartphone.

Going forward, the NSPCC’s Govender says that child safety will become a significant priority for digital behemoths such as Google and Meta.

The tech giants have for years been accused of worsening mental health in children and teens due to the rise of online bullying and social media addiction. They in return argue they’ve taken steps to address these issues through increased parental controls and privacy features.

“For years, tech giants have stood by while harmful and illegal content spread across their platforms, leaving young people exposed and vulnerable,” she told CNBC. “That era of neglect must end.”

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TikTok must face trial on kids exploitation lawsuit

admin — Sun, 13 Jul 2025 11:45:15 +0000

The TikTok logo is seen in this illustration taken on Aug. 22, 2022.

Dado Ruvic | Reuters

A judge this week rejected TikTok’s attempt to dismiss a lawsuit by the state of New Hampshire accusing it of using manipulative design features aimed at children and teens.

“The Court’s decision is an important step toward holding TikTok accountable for unlawful practices that put children at risk,” state Attorney General John Formella said in a statement Friday.

In his ruling Tuesday, New Hampshire Superior Court Judge John Kissinger Jr. said the state’s allegations were valid and specific enough to proceed, writing the civil claims were “based on the App’s alleged defective and dangerous features” and not the content in the app.

The state alleges that social media platform TikTok is intentionally designed to be addictive and aims to exploit its young user base.

The suit accuses the platform of implementing “addictive design features” meant to keep children engaged longer, increasing their exposure to advertisements and prompting purchases through TikTok’s e-commerce platform TikTok Shop.

A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement Friday that the suit “presents outdated and cherry-picked claims.”

“We continue to provide robust safety protections and screen time limits for teen accounts enabled by default, Family Pairing tools for parents to supervise their teens, strict livestreaming requirements, and proactive ongoing enforcement of our Community Guidelines,” the spokesperson said.

The case is the latest example of attorneys general targeting design elements and safety policies from tech companies instead of the content on the platforms, which is created by other users.

Meta was accused by several states of implementing addictive features across its family of apps that have detrimental effects on children’s mental health.

New Mexico filed a lawsuit against Snapchat in September, alleging the app was creating an environment where “predators can easily target children through sextortion schemes.”

In April, social-messaging platform Discord was sued by the New Jersey attorney general over misleading consumers about child safety features.

Congress has attempted to take action on regulating social media platforms, but to no avail. The Kids Online Safety Act was reintroduced to Congress in May after stalling in 2024.

The measure would require social media platforms to have a “duty of care” to prevent their products from harming children.

TikTok’s latest legal hurdle comes as its future in the U.S. remains uncertain.

In April 2024, former President Joe Biden signed a law requiring ByteDance to divest of TikTok or see the app banned in the U.S. The app was removed from Apple and Google app stores in January ahead of President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Since taking office, Trump has postponed enforcement of the ban and continued to push back deadlines.

In June, Trump granted ByteDance more time to sell off its U.S. TikTok operations, marking his third extension. The updated deadline is now set for Sept. 17.

Trump also said in June that a group of “very wealthy people” is ready to buy TikTok and told reporters that he would be having discussions with China about a potential deal.

TikTok is now building a new version of its app for U.S. users, according to The Information. The stand-alone app is expected to operate on a separate algorithm and data system, Reuters said.

TikTok refuted the Reuters report, calling it “factually inaccurate.”

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Bishop Who Urged Trump to “Have Mercy” Will Publish Kids’ Books

admin — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 19:08:25 +0000

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Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.

To Act Justly and to Love Mercy

The Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde made headlines when she urged President Trump to “have mercy” during the sermon she gave at the National Prayer Service in January of this year. The sermon, which quickly went viral, was inspired by ideas in Budde’s 2023 book, How We Learn to Be Brave. Penguin Young Readers announced this week that it will publish two adaptations of Budde’s work for children. The first, a YA edition called We Can Be Brave, was adapted by novelist Bryan Bliss and is due out October 25. A picture book called I Can Learn to Be Brave will follow in summer 2026. May these efforts succeed.

Publishers & Nonprofits Announce Fundraisers in Support of Freedom to Read

In separate endeavors, Penguin Random House and the National Coalition Against Censorship have announced fundraising efforts to help fight book bans and limits on intellectual freedom. PRH launched its first Banned on the Run 5k on Tuesday of this week and announced that employees raised more than $17,000 in the first day. The event will culminate in a run/walk at the company’s New York headquarters on April 9, with virtual options for employees located elsewhere. Fundraising will continue through April 12. Banned on the Run is open only to PRH and Sourcebooks employees this year, but organizers hope to expand eligibility in future years. The NCAC will hold a Stand Up for Free Speech Comedy Benefit on April 30 at New York’s Gotham Comedy Club. May their efforts succeed.

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Iowa’s Book Ban Bill is Blocked, Again

A federal judge has once again blocked Senate File 496, the Iowa bill that would require “all public school materials be “age appropriate” with no “descriptions or depictions of sex acts.” SF 496 would also require schools to remove any materials that do not fit their intentionally, maliciously vague definitions of “age appropriate” from shelves. Though the block is a win, Kelly Jensen notes that, “this is the third decision made in courts over the bill that has left schools scrambling and thousands of public school students in the state without access to books in their classrooms and libraries.”

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