Home Centers and Hardware Stores Industry Profile

The US home center and hardware store, or home improvement retail, industry includes about 23,000 hardware stores and home centers with combined annual revenue of about $145 billion. Major companies include The Home Depot, Lowe's Companies, True Value Company, and Ace Hardware.

Home centers offer more building supplies (such as lumber and flooring) and appliances than hardware stores. Building material supply wholesalers and lumber wholesalers are covered in separate profiles.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Home remodeling and repair and new homebuilding drive demand. The profitability of individual companies depends on low-cost purchasing, effective merchandising, and competitive pricing. Large companies can offer wide selections, supply high-volume goods to builders, and have advantages in purchasing, finance, distribution, and marketing. Small companies can compete by offering specialty products, providing superior service, or serving a local market. Competition includes building supply wholesalers and distributors, lumberyards, mass merchandisers, warehouse clubs, and Internet retailers.

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Major products for home centers include lumber and building supplies (30 percent of sales); hardware, tools, and plumbing and electrical supplies (30 percent); and lawn and garden products (10 percent), and paint and sundries (10 percent). Hardware stores tend to make more of their sales (about 50 percent) from hardware, tools, plumbing, and electrical supplies. Building supplies include doors, windows, masonry supplies, cabinets, and countertops. Lawn and garden supplies include lawn care machinery; outdoor nursery stock (trees and shrubs); and fertilizers. Home centers often carry a full line ...