Lowe’s executive apologizes for remark about Hispanics and ‘small hands’

A Lowe’s executive apologized Tuesday after employees expressed dismay over an internal video that featured him saying a new power drill was perfect for “Hispanic pros with smaller hands.”

The Washington Post reports the video featuring Joe McFarland, Lowe’s executive vice president of stores, was seen in conference rooms across the country as part of a weekly gathering of the chain’s managers.{mosads}

In the video, McFarland is seen touting a brand of compact cordless drill, the week’s spotlight item. “The thing is compact. It fits anywhere,” he says, before adding: “Some of our Hispanic pros with smaller hands, this is perfect for them.”

McFarland issued an apology shortly after the Post story was published. The story featured several employees criticizing McFarland and saying his comments were offensive.

“I am sorry for a careless and ignorant comment I made during an associate broadcast yesterday,” he said in a company-issued statement.

McFarland added that he will be “spending time in the coming days and weeks with our associates, customers and business leaders to learn and grow from this moment.”

The Post noted that the video was pulled from the hardware chain’s internal website. The videos typically play all week on the site, an employee told the news outlet.

McFarland came to Lowe’s last year from J.C. Penney and previously worked at Home Depot, the chain’s biggest competitor.