Here's What's Changing At Home Depot In 2026: The Biggest Updates

Home Depot has been integral in the home improvement game for a long time, but this big box hardware store is making some serious changes in 2026. In late January, Home Depot announced it's eliminating 800 jobs, according to CNBC, and moving away from remote work; showing that the famous retailer has been struggling with sales. With fewer people buying homes and stopping at the company's stores for DIY supplies and help with renovation projects, Home Depot is looking to test new ways to get customers to shop with them. Home Depot is making big shifts this year by upgrading its Hubspace smart lighting technology, implementing AI tools that help customers and professional builders plan and complete projects, and beginning a new deal with Wahlburgers.

While there are many differences between Lowe's and Home Depot, one big difference in 2026 could be that you can grab a bite to eat when stopping at select Home Depot stores. Wahlburgers, a hamburger chain founded by Mark Wahlberg and his brothers, Chef Paul and Donnie, will have trailers located right outside Home Depot stores. Three food trucks have already started selling Wahlburgers outside Home Depot stores in Stuart, Vero Beach, and Rockledge, Florida. Though this collaboration is exclusive to one state right now, the companies plan to continue expanding the project if these locations see success.

Last month at the National Retailer Federation (NRF) 2026, Home Depot broke the news it's developing technology to assist customers and professionals with their projects as they shop using Google Cloud's AI features. "The Home Depot has always been about providing excellent customer service," Jordan Broggi, Home Depot's EVP of Customer Experience, said in a press release. "By building on Google Cloud's AI solutions, we're putting 'Orange Apron' expertise in the pocket of every customer and creating an AI experience that is personalized, contextual, and available wherever the customer is — whether that's the home, the jobsite, or in the aisles of our stores." Although Home Depot has struggled with sales lately, these changes could make a substantial positive impact.

For professionals, the home improvement mogul is changing its AI so that it creates a material list from the description of a project, helping to save time and effort. With Home Depot's AI assistant, Magic Apron, you can get instructions on how to complete a specific home improvement project, what supplies are needed, and where to find the products in your local store. There are also plans to continue upgrading Home Depot's AI model, allowing customers to upload pictures so the technology can help them with specific aspects of their project in the near future. Currently, Magic Apron can be used through Home Depot's website and app, but could become an in-store feature this year. 

Hubspace is Home Depot's platform for smart devices around the home, including lighting, outlets, door locks, security systems, fans, and thermostats as well as various smart home must-haves for outdoor hosting. The company announced at the 2026 Consumer Electronic Show that it'll be partnering with Texas Instruments and Kwikset to further enhance this technology. With the help of Kwikset, Home Depot will be releasing a new Hubspace smart lock for exterior doors, for one. The retailer will also begin using Texas Instrument microchips inside its Hubspace products. This year, the retailer is also moving forward with Hubspace 2.0, changing the way its smart home lighting and technology is wired and used to make everything easier and more convenient. 

Hubspace makes the switch to smart lighting easier by letting customers operate over 200 smart home devices on the same app, connecting different rooms and products together. With the new 2.0 upgrade comes Hubspace Connect, which allows users to easily configure switches to control different lights throughout the home, such as using a single switch for several rooms. The new lighting in Hubspace 2.0 will also include security and comfort features like circadian lighting which softly transitions during the day and vacation modes to deter intruders. Home Depot seems to be establishing fresh features and partnerships with other brands in an attempt to bring more customers into their stores and generate an uptick in their recently slow sales. Time will tell if these improvements are successful.