Home Depot extends lead; Menard leaps to No.3 among home improvement powers

Business Wire, May 16, 1996

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 16, 1996--Home Depot extended its dominance of the world-wide home improvement market last year.

Besides ranking first in U.S. home improvement sales and in sales to contractors, the chain climbed into second place among all Canadian home improvement retailers, and, once again, ranked first on "National Home Center News'" list of the World Powers of DIY Retailing.

According to NHCN's Top 500 report on the home improvement industry, to be published May 20, Atlanta-based Home Depot generated an industry-leading $15.47 billion in sales in 1995, comfortably ahead of No.2 Lowe's Cos. The North Wilkesboro, N.C. based chain reported $7.08 billion in sales last year. In NHCN's listing of leading Canadian chains, Home depot climbed a notch to No.2, beating out Beaver Lumber and trailing only Canadian Tire among Canada's home improvement retailers.

Depot's $3.09 billion in sales to contractors and builders was No.1 in the industry, ahead of Lowe's $1.556 billion in contractor and builder sales, according to THE PRO DEALER 250, a listing of the leading retailers of hardware and building materials to the professional markets. PRO DEALER is a publication that runs inside of NHCN.

Depot and Lowe's were also ranked Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, on the Top 15 list of World DIY Powers, to be published separately in June by NHCN.

Privately-held Menard was identified as a "growth engine," as the Eau Claire, Wisconsin-based chain climbed into third place among U.S. home improvement chains with a 17.4 percent sales gain to $2.7 billion last year.

"National Home Center News" is the leading international news magazine for the home improvement industry. It is published biweekly by Lebhar-Friedman Inc.

PRO DEALER, published nine times a year by NHCH, provides an in-depth look at companies that focus on sales to professional remodelers, builders and commercial accounts.

World Powers of DIY Retailing is a special yearly report, sponsored by the American Hardware Manufacturers Association, that provides comprehensive statistics on the worldwide DIY market.

For more information on The NHCN Top 500, The PRO DEALER Top 250 or the World Powers of DIY Retailing, contact Don Longo, editor, 212/756-5107.

CONTACT: Don Longo

212/756-5107