Lowe's Executive Summary

The Home Depot’s two main customers are at home “do-it-yourselfers” and contractors. The main products and services offered help solve the wants and needs of customers involved with home construction and maintenance,

The growing trend of home improvement has perpetuated a larger demand for box store home improvement shops such as Home Depot and Lowe’s. There are several types of companies that contribute to the booming renovation industry. Home Depot and Lowe’s provide all the

Lowes is currently involved in all sorts of different initiatives in order to boost sales during this current economic down turn. The first thing the company focuses on is the mindset of the average consumer. Lowes has discovered through lots of research the people basically want five things: balance, control, value, simplicity, and to shop for everything in one trip. In order to accomplish these five things, Lowes has focused on improving its skills in the following three areas: merchandising strategy, merchandise selection, marketing and advertising, and offering higher value at lower prices in order

Home Depot is the fastest growing retailer in the U.S. by some accounts. It has a fascinating history of innovation and entrepreneurship. The company had some difficulties in the mid-2000s that some attribute to cultural clashes. However, during this period the company was able to take full advantage of the housing boom. Yet when the bubble burst, Home Depot was forced to claim substantial losses. Despite these loses Home Depot has weathered the storm fairly well and is in prime position to take advantage of an economic recovery; if it ever comes.

Established as the older company of the two, Lowe’s ranks forty-second as a Fortune 500 company. Established in 1946 as a small hardware business, Lowe’s has grown into a 40,000 product, global market enterprise that consist of 1,710 stores nationwide expanding into the countries of Canada, Mexico and Australia (Lowe's Internal, 2010) Home Depot, founded in 1978, is the fastest growing retailer in the United States. Ranked twenty-ninth as a Fortune 500 company, Home Depot continues to remain the number one do-it-yourself retail store in America. These two companies may sell products of the same nature, but comparing their Code of Ethics is their way of setting themselves apart. (Home Depot Internal, 2009)

The contemporary period is usually thought to have started around the 1940’s, after the end of World War Two. The experience of WWII changed the way that people around the globe live and think as many had begun to lead prosperous lives however the contemporary stories of the time would attempt to highlight the harsh realities that lied under the surface and were are still apparent in everyday life. An example of a contemporary author that writes about the luxuries of life while simultaneously relating his common experiences to the horrific tragedies of war was in Brian Turner’s “At Lowes Home Improvement Center.” Contemporary writing usually takes place in a realistic setting in the same time frame that the author is writing in such as in

The home improvement retailer was hit with a double whammy last year: a housing market downturn and customer service problems that have plagued the company for years. Also on the company's to-do list: preventing patrons from fleeing to competitor Lowe's, which has been chipping away at HD's lead. In-store makeovers were a start, and the company also has been seeking skilled workers to replace inexperienced part-timers who'd previously been hired to help cut costs.

Lowe’s was ranked 42nd in the Forbes 500 top companies in 2009. It has grown into the 2nd largest home improvement retailer in the United States. In constant competition with Home Depot and other stores, Lowe’s must find a way to remain competitive in an oligopoly marketplace. It is important to understand not only what type of market Lowe’s operates in but also the advantages and disadvantages when reviewing margin and profits.

Lowe’s Companies, Inc., is a $26.5 billion company that employs 122,000 people. It is the world’s second largest home improvement retailer and the 14th largest retailer in the United States as well as the 30th worldwide. Lowe’s owns 854 stores in 44 states and serves eight million do-it-yourself and commercial customers weekly. Headquartered in Wilkesboro, N.C., Lowe’s has been in business for 57 years and publicly held for 41 with stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LOW. The company offers products and services in home improvement, home décor, home maintenance, home repair and remodeling and lawn and garden.

Home Depot and Lowe's believe in big warehouse space, an informal atmosphere and low prices. They are able to offer the lower prices to consumers due to their purchasing power. Inventory differs depending on the story type, home centers typically sock more lumber and building supplies, as their biggest customers are contractors. They pay their floor employees minimum wage, and keep overall costs down by keeping them as part time employees.

In order to further strengthen its holdings on the home improvement market, Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has restructured the company’s vision to conform to meet the ever-changing needs of its customers. Lowe’s extensive research has led it to include a well lit sales floor, informative in-store displays, exclusive and proprietary brands, and an ingenious store layout just to name of the few changes. This new vision is not only centered on the store itself, Do-It-Yourselfers and Commercial Business Customers have many ways to satisfy their needs conveniently though stores nationwide by placing orders over the phone, fax, or from the improved Lowe’s web site.

The current financial strategy of Lowe’s is to maintain substantial assets and income compared to its debts. In the last financial report by Lowe’s it shows that their debt/asset ratio increased 12.78%; well its net revenue grew 21.48%. This is all done due to investments that are showing a return. One of the largest investments is in growing the number of stores that they have. In 2016 they had a goal of adding up to 40 more stores in 2016.

Lowe 's is the world 's second largest home improvement retailer and the 14th largest retailer in the U.S. Lowe 's is in the midst of an aggressive expansion plan, opening a new store on average every three days. Lowe 's is an active supporter of the communities it serves. Through the Lowe 's Heroes volunteer programs and the Home Safety Council, it provides help to civic groups with public safety projects and share important home safety and fire prevention information with neighborhoods across the country. Lowe 's has been a publicly held company since October 10, 1961. Its stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, with shares trading under the ticker symbol LOW.Lowe’s Companies, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a home improvement retailer in the United States and Canada. The company provides a range of products and services for home decoration, maintenance, repair, remodeling, and property maintenance. It offers home improvement products in various categories, such as appliances, lumber, paint, flooring, building materials, millwork, lawn and landscape products, fashion plumbing, hardware, lighting, tools, seasonal living, rough plumbing, outdoor power equipment, cabinets and countertops, nursery, rough electrical, home environment, home organization, and windows and walls. The company’s products also include boards, panel products, irrigation pipes, vinyl sidings, and ladders. It serves

Home Depot’s practices for the 10 strategic decisions of operations management highlight the rank of organizing and restructuring all business areas. Streamlining leads to the high efficiency of Home Depot stores. The 10 Strategic decisions of operations management are: Design of Goods and Services- Home Depot designs its goods with special attention on low pricing and pleasing quality. Quality Management- Quality management involves Home Depot’s training programs to ensure quality service. Process and Capacity Design -Home Depot uses traditional retail business approaches for process and ability design at its stores. Location Strategy- The locations are mostly near or in closely occupied centers. Based on the company’s marketing mix, their

Some of the strategic factors that Home Depot faces are related to product quality, price, advertising, store capacity, competitors, and customer's independency and satisfaction. Most of these strategic factors helped in the