Lowe's To Sell Off Its 'Under-Performing' Iris Smart Home Automation Business (cepro.com)

Posted by BeauHD on Tuesday November 27, 2018 @10:00PM from the short-end-of-the-stick dept.

CIStud shares a report from CE Pro: Giant home improvement retailer Lowe's is giving up on the smart home market. The company announced its "difficult decision" to exit the home automation market and is seeking a buyer for its Iris Smart Home business as part of a "strategic reassessment." The announcement is part of multiple other maneuvers by Lowe's that include closing its Orchard Supply Hardware business, dumping its Alacrity Renovation Service, shutting down all its locations in Mexico, and shutting more than 50 locations in the U.S. and Canada. Lowe's Iris was hailed as the only entry-level home automation system that handled ZigBee, Z-Wave and Wi-Fi when it came out in 2012. Speaking to investors, president and CEO Marvin Ellison [lumped Lowe's Iris in with other initiatives as an] "underperforming... non-core business."

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Lowes Going the Way of Sears by Anonymous Coward · 2018-11-28 02:20 · Score: 2, Informative

Lowes is circling the drain... they are quickly learning that the approach for Walmart does not work for home improvement stores. They cannot keep staffing Lowes stores with Walmart-grade employees who can't even tie their own shoes, let alone have a discussion about wire gauge vs. ampacity or concrete pressure ratings.