| Thanks to the popularity of home improvement | | | | hardware retailer of choice for the United States. |
| programming on television, the last boom in the housing | | | | Headquartered in Georgia, The Home Depot employs |
| market and an influx of home repair magazines and | | | | over 350,000 people and operates over 2,100 stores |
| media, the home renovation retail business is absolutely | | | | all over the world, including China. Second only to |
| thriving. After watching how-to design programs on | | | | Wal-Mart for retail power in the United States, The |
| television and reading how-to articles in design | | | | Home Depot is the giant of home hardware supplies. |
| magazines, homeowners are rushing out for paint, | | | | Lowe's is the second largest hardware and home |
| lumber, wiring and anything else they need for their | | | | renovation retailer in the United States. Focusing their |
| next weekend project. | | | | business model on service, Lowe's takes aim at |
| Another factor contributing to the surging interest in | | | | retaining a local store feeling. The Lowe's chain began |
| DIY home improvement are the costs of labor and | | | | in North Carolina in 1946 as a single store and now |
| contractors. As the expense of hiring help goes up, | | | | operates over 1400 stores in the U.S. The chain is |
| homeowners are increasingly likely to take on a | | | | looking to expand into Canada and Mexico. |
| project themselves, thus sending them to their local | | | | Another competitor that focuses on customer service |
| hardware retailer to stock up on needed supplies. | | | | and local emphasis is The True Value Company. By |
| These same local hardware stores have gone from | | | | concentrating on quality service and extensive how-to |
| small shops to major, national retailers with huge chain | | | | programs, True Value is attempting to win over |
| networks. Examples of some of the larger home | | | | customers from large competitors like Home Depot or |
| improvement stores include Lowe's Home | | | | Lowe's. True Value is also unique because it operates |
| Improvement, The Home Depot, Home Hardware, | | | | as a cooperative, meaning it is owned by its members. |
| Canadian Tire, Ace Hardware, Do It Best and Fred | | | | Essentially, it is a member-owned wholesaler and |
| Meyer. These retailers can be found almost all over | | | | therefore is often able to deliver lower prices. |
| the United States and continue to expand into Canada, | | | | Finally, there's Ace Hardware. A leader in global sales, |
| Europe and Asia. | | | | Ace Hardware is also a cooperative, meaning most of |
| The Best and Biggest Home Improvement Stores | | | | their stores are owned and operated by a local dealer |
| As the largest in the country, The Home Depot is the | | | | who owns a financial stake in the larger company. |