Home Depot, Inc.
Industry: Retail (Home Improvement)

Founded in 1978, The Home Depot(R) is the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer and the second largest retailer in the United States, with fiscal 2001 sales of $53.6 billion. The company employs more than 280,000 associates and has 1,459 stores in 49 states, Puerto Rico, seven Canadian provinces, and Mexico. The company for the second year in a row was named sixth Most Admired Company in America by Fortune magazine, which has also ranked it as America's Most Admired Specialty Retailer for eight consecutive years. Its stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: HD) and is included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Standard & Poor's 500 Index.

Business Summary
The Home Depot, Inc. (Home Depot) is a home improvement retailer. During the fiscal year ended January 30, 2005 (fiscal 2004), the Company was operating 1,890 stores. Most of the stores are either Home Depot stores or EXPO Design Center stores. Home Depot stores sell a wide assortment of building materials, home improvement and lawn and garden products and provide a number of services. Home Depot stores average approximately 106,000 square feet of enclosed space, with approximately 22,000 additional square feet in the outside garden area. EXPO Design Center stores sell products and services primarily for home decorating and remodeling projects. EXPO Design Center stores offer interior design products, such as kitchen and bathroom cabinetry, soft and hard flooring, window treatments and lighting fixtures. EXPO Design Center stores average approximately 100,000 square feet of enclosed space.

Financial Summary
The Home Depot owns and operates 1,471 do-it-yourself warehouse retail stores offering building materials, home improvement products and related furnishings. For the 26 weeks ended 7/31/05, revenues rose 10% to $41.28B. Net income rose 14% to $3.02B. Revenues reflect increased sales due to the opening of new stores. Net income also reflects improved gross profit margins due to lower cost of merchandise sold as a percentage of revenue.