Strengths And Weaknesses Of Lowes

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 has entered into the Canadian and Australian market in attempts to gain unclaimed market shares. It has not gained enough traction in the Australian market but has done well in Canada. Lowe’s should focus more on expansion in Canada because of the strong need for Home Improvement stores. Lowe’s has the opportunity to gain more market share by developing a mobile application that allows users to view all items offered and what deals are taking place. Customer service is a top priority in any retail industry, Lowe’s needs to improve this dramatically. Lowe’s needs knowledgeable, friendly-staff that go beyond just showing a customer where a product is in the store. By doing so, Lowe’s will retain more customers and its competitors will lose shares of the market.

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.

The Home Depot mission statement reads as follows: “The Home Depot is in the home improvement business and our goal is to provide the highest level of service, the broadest selection of products and the most competitive prices. We are a values-driven company and our eight values include the following: excellent customer service, taking care of our people, giving back, doing the “right” things, creating shareholder value, respect for all people, entrepreneurial spirit, and building strong relationships.”

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 a home improvement warehouse that was founded in 1946 as a single store and since has grown to become the second largest in the world. As technology has evolved, Lowe’s has made many advances incorporating new systems and devices to stay competitive. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the information technology management systems used at Lowe’s. It will look at Porter’s Five Force Model, supply chain management; data base management system, five agent-based technologies, e-commerce and system development lifecycle. Furthermore, it will look at business continuity planning, emerging trends and security vulnerabilities relates to the organization to remain competitive.

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 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 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 strategy since 1994 was to have a softer side, a look that would be comfortable to women. Thus, their stores are well lit, the signs are colorful and clear, the floors spotless, and the people friendly and helpful. Ten years later, the Lowe’s strategy has traction, and Home Depot is attempting to adjust its own value proposition” (Aaker 7).

The Home Depot and Lowes are very similar when it comes to the 4 P’s of marketing. Their prices are very similar and they even offer the same low price guarantee when compared to local competitors. When it comes to promotion The Home Depot spent $793.7 million dollars on advertisements in 2014 (Home Depot: Ad spend, n.d.). Lowes

Review of Financial Research Report: This assignment is an analysis of a US publicly-traded company; its common stock could be a prospective investment.  The report is due in Week 10, in needs to be at least 5 pages, and it needs to cover the following topics:

Technology Home Depot is operating in an era where billions of people surf the Internet causing the spread of globalization. Through this, Home Depot has access to different manufacturers to support it in locating suppliers. The Internet also allows customers the ability to look up their products online and compare competing products from other producers. In addition, Home Depot can enhance their mobile app to reach more customers (Ferguson,

From the moment of Home Depot’s foundation, it has continued to grow constantly by targeting strong markets with many new homeowners and young people. The company managed to grow fast by adapting to change and continued to be successful by holding to its culture and values. The company’s constant effort to expand its culture has produced good products, customers and employees have helped Home Depot maintain its competitive advantage over the years.