Plans for 2006

The US home improvement group Lowe's is planning to open 155 stores in the current 2006 fiscal year. This means an increase in the total number of stores to 1 389, and an expansion of the combined floorspace by 12 per cent to 14.6 mio m². The expectation is for an increase in total sales of approx. 13 to 14 per cent, and for like-for-like growth of 5 to 6 per cent.