Home Centers

Serving wealthy neighborhoods with an eclectic mix of products and materials.

Atlanta-based Home Depot reported first-quarter earnings of $812 million, up 12.0% from earnings of $725 million in the first quarter last year.

Sales declined 0.2% to $16.8 billion, while comparable-store sales were negative 0.6%. Comp-store sales for stores in the United States were negative 0.7%.

Offer exclusive products, make the most of your retail brands online and accentuate the positives of your store touch points.

Q4 comparable-store sales jump 6.3% at the world's largest home improvement retailer.

Sears Holdings CEO Edward Lampert made some new announcements about lowering the retailer's debt burden and cutting expenses, all while settling a shareholder lawsuit.

An incident at a Louisiana Lowe's store Thursday revealed one of the drawbacks of outdoor merchandising. The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported a motorist crashed into a Lowe's store near Covington, La., Thursday, running over a row of grills.

Wong most recently served as senior vice president and general merchandising manager for the seasonal business.

Home Depot is tinkering with the idea of cutting back the space dedicated to kitchen showrooms. "We're piloting the removal of up to 40% of the space dedicated to kitchen showrooms," said Craig Menear, Home Depot's EVP merchandising, during the company's recent investor and analyst conference.