SECTION ONE
I. Company profile:
The Home Depot, Inc. was incorporated in 1978 in the state of Delaware. At the end of the third quarter of 2006, the company operated a total of 2,104 retail stores, which includes 1,854 of the Home Depot stores in the United States. The Company has home improvement stores that span from the United States through Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Canada and Mexico. At the Home Depot store, consumers can choose from a wide assortment of building materials, home improvement products, appliances and lawn and garden products; as well as provide home improvement services. Home Depot also, provides many services, such as classes on installing flooring, tile etc, for the do-it your self (DIY) customers. These classes are taught by associates and vendors, for customers who are typically homeowners who purchase their own materials and complete their own projects and installations. In addition to the Home Depot stores, the company has retail stores that sell products and services for home decorating and remodeling called Expo Design center. The Design center is for customers in the middle to upper income, Expo design center offers complete home decorating and remodeling resources. The Expo design center stores sell a variety of interior design products, such as kitchens, bathrooms, cabinetry, tiles, flooring, appliances, window treatments, lighting fixtures and patio products. The company provides the installation services for most of the products sold at these stores. There are also, two retail stores formats that focused their attention on professional customers, called the Home Depot Supply and the Home depot Landscape Supply. These professional customers are, professional remodeling, general contractors, repairman and tradesman. ...