Home Depot recovers lost ground

Last year Home Depot opened only two new stores. This number also reflects the slow growth of the economy in the United States. Yet the market leader in home improvement was able to increase company sales by 6.2 per cent to US $ 74.8 bn. Observers see that as a sign that the company is in the process of regaining its earlier momentum. The total number of stores now comes to 2 256, of which 180 are in Canada and 100 in Mexico. Sales per store amount to somewhat more than US $ 33 mio, and to around $ US 250 000 per employee. If the product assortment is very roughly divided into four large categories, sales break down as follows: sanitary, electrical and kitchen 30.8 per cent; hardware and seasonal products 29.4 per cent; building materials, timber and metal products 20.6 per cent; paint and floor coverings 19.2 per cent. Many more key figures and statistical data from Home Depot are listed in a detailed contribution that can be found in our DIYglobal Plus section (see below: Other articles on this topic).