Lowe's Research Paper

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)

B&B Consulting Services was requested to evaluate, assess, analyze and make recommendations to Lowe’s Home Improvement in the areas of strategy for growth improvement. The following information will give Lowe’s a better understanding of its company and what improvements can be made in the short-term and long-term.

Lowes (NYSE: LOW) is in the retail business that specializes in the sales of home improvement. Lowes first began in 1946 as a small hardware store that expanded into what it is today. The company is a corporation which has specialized in customer service. Lowes has broaden to install interior and exterior projects for customers. Teaming with companies such as Sherwin Williams, Allen and Roth, and Kohler Lowes has drastically improved. Over the past few years, Lowes has expanded by taking over companies such as ATG Stores and RONA. The company operates 1,250 stores in the United States. Lowes is a power house in the home improvement retail, representing 6% of the 700-billion-dollar industry.

The corporate structure of Lowe’s is like many other large corporations. Having a Board of Directors that the CEO must answer too. Then having the other officers under the CEO in charge of other sections of the firm. Under them is the managers and presidents of the subsections. The CEO of Lowe’s is Robert A. Niblock; he has held this position since January 2005. In 2016 he was compensated by $12,670,019; this was in the form of stocks and salary. The portion of the compensation that is from stocks is $9,241,654; this means that 73% of the compensation for the CEO is in the form of stock (in 2016).

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.

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 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.

In 2008, Lowe’s Companies, Inc. have failed to ensure a sustainable safety environment, put in place a health program, and maintain adequate record keeping on work-related injury and illnesses claims for certain locations in the state of Ohio. This employer has been made aware of OSHA requirements for its industry and has been cited many times for similar infractions. OSHA regulators have imposed stiff penalty fines that have cost Lowe’s Companies Inc. thousands of dollars. The record-keeping violations at the

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.

Lowe 's is the world 's second largest home improvement retailer and the 14th largest retailer in the U.S. Lowe 's is in the midst of an aggressive expansion plan, opening a new store on average every three days. Lowe 's is an active supporter of the communities it serves. Through the Lowe 's Heroes volunteer programs and the Home Safety Council, it provides help to civic groups with public safety projects and share important home safety and fire prevention information with neighborhoods across the country. Lowe 's has been a publicly held company since October 10, 1961. Its stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, with shares trading under the ticker symbol LOW.Lowe’s Companies, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a home improvement retailer in the United States and Canada. The company provides a range of products and services for home decoration, maintenance, repair, remodeling, and property maintenance. It offers home improvement products in various categories, such as appliances, lumber, paint, flooring, building materials, millwork, lawn and landscape products, fashion plumbing, hardware, lighting, tools, seasonal living, rough plumbing, outdoor power equipment, cabinets and countertops, nursery, rough electrical, home environment, home organization, and windows and walls. The company’s products also include boards, panel products, irrigation pipes, vinyl sidings, and ladders. It serves

Lowe’s Company has been in business for over 60 years. The company is the second largest home improvement retailer in the world and employs more than 215,000 employees. The company’s home base is Mooresville, North Carolina. Standard & Poor ranks Lowe’s as #48 . Presently, Lowe’s stock, which is identified on the New York Stock Exchange as LOW, is selling for right under $20 a share. This price has been consistent and is comparable to their biggest competitor Home Depot, Inc whose stock has remained steady at $23.

Lowes is currently involved in all sorts of different initiatives in order to boost sales during this current economic down turn. The first thing the company focuses on is the mindset of the average consumer. Lowes has discovered through lots of research the people basically want five things: balance, control, value, simplicity, and to shop for everything in one trip. In order to accomplish these five things, Lowes has focused on improving its skills in the following three areas: merchandising strategy, merchandise selection, marketing and advertising, and offering higher value at lower prices in order

Before beginning an analysis of a company it is necessary to have a complete set of financial statements, preferably for the pas few years so that historical trends can be obtained. Ratios are a way for anyone to get an idea of the financial performance of a company by using the information contained in the financial statements. Ratios are grouped into four basic categories, liquidity, activity, profitability, and financial leverage. This document will use a variety of these ratios to analyze the firm, Sample Company, as of December 31,2000.

At the event of any change to the company may it be negative or positive, profitable or non-profitable their will be an adverse effect to the stakeholders. Such effects are as follows: increase on overall sales of the company will yield increase on shares and earnings to either shareholders, employees and business owners; which in-turn will create profit that could be use for company expansion and purchasing of additional tools to use for improvement; that will lead in helping increase customers service elevating the aid provided to our customers; and also by increasing sales will also mean profit for Lowe’s vendors and suppliers, and so on…

Financial statements paint a picture of financial health of an organization. Important aspects of the financial statement of a health care organization are ratios. Analysis of ratios show how two numbers relate or compare to one another. Ratios are a way for organizations to make comparison. These comparisons not only encompass what is happening presently but can also be used to make comparisons about numbers and ratios over time. Ratios are a way for organizations to compare themselves with competitors and the industry. (Finkler, Kovner, and Jones, 2007). There are four major ratios that financial statements analyze 1) liquidity 2) activity 3) leverage and 4) profitability. The financial statement for Mayo Health System