Harbor Freight Tools
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | January 1, 1977 in North Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Founder | Eric Smidt, Allan Smidt |
| Headquarters | Calabasas, California , United States |
Area served | United States (48 states) |
Key people | Eric Smidt (CEO) |
| Products | Tools and equipment |
Number of employees | 28,000 (2024) |
| Website | www |
Harbor Freight Tools, often referred to simply as Harbor Freight, is a privately owned American retailer specializing in tools and equipment, with its corporate headquarters located in Calabasas, California. The company operates more than 1,500 stores throughout 48 states and has a robust online sales platform. Employing upwards of 28,000 individuals across the United States, Harbor Freight reported revenues reaching $8 billion in 2024.
History
The company was established in 1977 by entrepreneur Eric Smidt alongside his father Allan Smidt under the name Harbor Freight Salvage in North Hollywood, California. Initially, the business focused on selling liquidated and returned tools via mail order. As it grew, the firm adopted the name Harbor Freight Tools. Eric Smidt assumed the role of president at age 25 in 1985 and advanced to CEO in 1999. From the mid-1980s until 2010, the company’s headquarters were situated in Camarillo, California.
Retail stores
Harbor Freight Tools launched its first physical retail outlet in 1982 located in Lexington, Kentucky. This store initially offered returned goods from its mail-order inventory. The original address was 1387 East New Circle Road before relocating to 1301 Winchester Road, Suite 213. The success of this initial store prompted further expansion nationwide. By 2024, Harbor Freight operated over 1,500 retail locations across 48 states.
House brands
The company markets an extensive assortment of tools and related products under a variety of proprietary brands, which are sourced directly from manufacturers. Prominent house brands include:
- Apache
- Ames
- Armstrong
- Atlas
- Avanti
- Badland
- Bauer
- Berger
- Black Widow
- Braun
- Bunker Hill
- Cen-Tech
- Central Machinery
- Cover-Pro
- Daytona
- Doyle
- Drill Master
- Drummond
- Earthquake
- Fasten-Pro
- Fortress
- Gordon
- Grant's
- Greenwood
- Hardy
- Haul-Master
- Hercules
- HFT
- ICON
- Luminar
- Maddox
- McGraw
- Merlin
- Niagra
- One Stop Gardens
- Pittsburgh
- Predator
- Portland
- Quinn
- Roadshock
- Spectrum
- Storehouse
- Thunderbolt
- Titanium
- U.S. General
- Vanguard
- Vulcan
- Warrior
- Yukon
Website
Harbor Freight introduced its website in 1997, initially featuring a limited product catalog alongside basic customer service details. By 2023, the website had grown substantially to include over 79,000 indexed pages and attracted more than 31 million monthly visitors predominantly from the United States, demonstrating considerable digital expansion and market penetration.
Corporate affairs
Based in Calabasas, California, Harbor Freight operates major distribution hubs located in Camarillo, California, Moreno Valley, California, Dillon, South Carolina, and Joliet, Illinois. The company discontinued operations at its Oxnard, California distribution center in early 2013.
In April 2013, Harbor Freight announced a $75 million enlargement of its Dillon distribution facility. This expansion culminated in November 2015 with an additional one million square feet of space and the creation of 200 new positions. In 2022, a new distribution center spanning 1.6 million square feet was opened in Joliet, Illinois, generating approximately 800 jobs.
Harbor Freight earned Great Place to Work certification consecutively in 2023, 2024, and 2025. According to the Great Place to Work Institute's findings, 90% of employees rate their experience positively compared to a national average of 57%, highlighting a strong corporate culture and high employee satisfaction.
Investor relations
In 2012, Harbor Freight arranged a $750 million financing agreement with Credit Suisse aimed at refinancing existing debt and providing a dividend distribution to its private investors.
Philanthropy
Community engagement remains a fundamental principle for Harbor Freight Tools, which prioritizes support for K-12 skilled trades education, veterans, and emergency responders through monetary contributions and tool donations.
On January 9, 2013, CEO Eric Smidt contributed $1.4 million worth of tools and equipment to the Career Technical Education program within the Los Angeles Unified School District. In 2016, Smidt founded The Smidt Foundation to oversee Harbor Freight Tools for Schools and to back initiatives in education, healthcare, and community development. This foundation grants more than $1.5 million annually to educators and institutions specializing in skilled trades, with total funding exceeding $8.9 million to date.
Responding to the COVID-19 crisis in March 2020, Harbor Freight dedicated its entire inventory of N95 masks, face shields, and gloves to hospitals across the United States equipped with 24-hour emergency departments.
Criticism and legal action
In 2012, Harbor Freight was sued by employees who claimed they had been improperly classified as exempt managers under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The court dismissed the class action status, mandating individual assessments for each claim.
In 2015, a class action lawsuit was initiated by customers alleging deceptive advertising practices involving artificially inflated "regular" prices to fabricate false discount promotions. The company resolved the lawsuit by agreeing to pay up to $33 million in consumer compensation.
External links
- www.harborfreight.com—Official Harbor Freight Tools website