Home Depot V/S Lowe's Competitive Analysis

Lowe’s (LOW) and Home Depot (HD) are competitors in the every growing market of Home Improvement. The following analysis of each company will examine the home improvement industry, the individual companies, their operating philosophies, their financial strengths or weaknesses, and a final conclusion on which company would be a better long-term investment.

I have learned a lot after identifying my top 7 core values now I will compare them on a personal level, local level, and a global level. The first core value I identified was economic security, and I can compare this on all three levels. On a personal level, I contribute on a daily basis by working at The Home Depot. By working at The Home Depot, I contribute to my economic security by making a salary which helps pay for school. On a local level part of the money I make goes to taxes which help local citizens afford food and healthcare. Globally I contribute by helping people install greener and more environmentally friendly options. The second core value that I discovered that was important to me is health. On a personal level, I contribute

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)

Lowe’s is continuously being threatened by Home Depot in losing market shares. It is a constant battle; Lowe’s and Home Depot are expanding substantially in attempts to take over territory claimed by the other as well as unclaimed territory. The biggest weakness for Lowe’s is its lack of customer service. Customers are leaving Lowe’s in search of credible, knowledgeable service which is found at Home Depot.

Lowe’s is part of an oligopoly type market structure. An oligopoly is a situation in which a particular market is controlled by a small group of firms with at least two firms controlling the market. The main key to behavior in an oligopoly is that companies must take into account what other companies will do. In perfect competition, firms are price-takers and can ignore other firms (Basic Economics, 2009). The home improvement retail stores are an industry that includes Home Depot, Lowe’s, Builders Square, and in other states, Menards.  Smaller companies have to try to compete with them to stay in business.

ROA is considered the best overall indicator of the efficiency of assets used in a company. Home Depot and Lowe’s ROA ratio both moved down due to the downturn in the industry but Home Depot was able to improve 2010.

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.

Lowe’s is the world’s second largest home improvement retailer and operated 952 stores in forty five states at their fiscal year ending January 30, 2004. The company is currently in the midst of the most aggressive expansion in its history with 130 new stores opened in 2003 and another 140 slated for this year. Lowe’s saw 2003 sales reach approximately $30.8 billion, due largely to their focus on the retail customers and home-improvement projects.

The Home Depot (NYSE: HD) is a home improvement, construction products and services retailer operating over 2,000 big-box stores in the United States and abroad. The Home Depot was founded in 1978 by Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank with the vision of one-stop shopping for do-it-yourself (DIY) customers, installation services for do-it-for-me (DIFM) customers and competitive products for the professional market. Their DIFM installation programs include products such as carpeting, flooring, cabinets, countertops, and water heaters. In addition, the company provides installation of various professional products like generators and HVAC systems.

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.

Home Depot and Lowe’s have similar business models. However, Home Depot seems to be growing faster than Lowe’s. In addition, Home Depot achieves higher returns on the capital invested by their shareholders. Not only does Home Depot have a higher ROE, but they also achieved a higher ROA and as a result Home Depot has a higher ROFL, caused by its higher use of liabilities as a source of financing. Home Depot has a higher PM with 8% compared with Lowe’s at 6%. Lowe’s and Home Depot both came in at around 34% with gross profit margin. Home Depot achieves a higher turnover of total assets. A closer analysis of turnover ratio reveals that ART is extremely high for Home Depot indicating that accounts receivables are being collected more quickly, while

Looking forward, Lowe’s plans include expansion, with more than 100 store openings in line until the year 2004. Although it was not explicitly stated that it will continue to expand until 2006, the analysts assumed the contrary, that is a continuous expansion in order to strategize and reach Home Depot’s level in terms of scale.

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. is the fourteenth largest retailer in America, and overall the world’s second largest home improvement retailer. They are the 108th ranked corporation on the Fortune 500 top corporations list. With an impressive in store stock of 40,000 home improvement items on hand, ranging from lumber to Home décor items, plus an additional 400,000 home improvement items available through a special order program. Lowe’s provides a onetime stop for all home improvement needs, for both the Do-It-Yourselfer, and the ever-expanding market of the Commercial Business Customer.

Home Depot’s strategic framework focuses on creating value for their customers by connecting the business end-to-end. Under this framework, Home Depot is centered on Customer Experience, Product Authority, and Productivity (Home Depot, 2016). Thus, they have established a targeted customer base and will focus on ensuring customer service continues to evolve to mirror the changing needs and expectations of their customers (Home Depot, 2016). Ultimately, there is a fine balance between delivering an innovative product that is of premium quality at a good value, but this is their goal under product authority. Last, productivity is impacted due to their coordination with their supply chains and the stores (Home Depot, 2016).

Strong brand reputation: Home Depot operates in nearly 2,250 locations in the United States and is recognized as the leading home improvement retailer. The exceptional recognition of the firm has contributed to rising sales and growth (Bhasin, 2018). The brand is recognized for quality products, affordable prices, and technology-assisted service delivery.