4. The Home Depot remains the largest home improvement retailer. According to analysis by Market Watch, The Home Depot possesses roughly 17 percent of the market share for home improvement retail. Lowe's comes in second with about 12 percent market share.
In 2022, Home Depot's annual sales amounted to over 157 billion U.S. dollars, whereas its main competitor, Lowe's, reached more than 97 billion U.S. dollars of sales.
World: store count of Home Depot and Lowe's 2011-2022
In 2022, the DIY chain 'Home Depot' had a total of 2,322 stores worldwide. Meanwhile, Lowe's registered 1970 stores at the end of the same period.
HD, LOW Revenue (Annual) data by YCharts. If you take the $150 billion sales figure and divide it by the $900 billion market size, Home Depot's market share is an estimated 17%. Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement retailer and boasts the most significant market share.
Lowe's Companies, Inc.
Lowe's, established in 1921, is currently the world's second-largest home improvement retailer, having lost its position as the largest retailer in the sector to its newer rival, The Home Depot.
About half of Home Depot's revenue today comes from professional customers, like plumbers, electricians, and general contractors, compared to 25% for Lowe's. In dollar terms, pros accounted for $77.5 billion of Home Depot's sales and $23.8 billion for Lowe's in the last 12 months.
As the world's first and second-largest home improvement retailers, Home Depot and Lowe's share many similarities. They compete for a shared customer base across the U.S. and Canada.
Lowe's Market Cap: 134.51B for July 13, 2023.
Profits and cash flow
Home Depot is also more profitable, but the gap here is shrinking. Lowe's boosted operating margin in 2022 and is projecting another uptick this year, to between 13.6% of sales and 13.8% of sales.
One benefit to shopping at Lowe's over Home Depot is that the price match policy allows customers to price match Amazon products, while Home Depot's policy is limited to brick-and-mortar stores. Lowe's customers can enroll in the Lowe's rewards program to get a variety of free, incentivized, or discounted products.
Lowe's Home Improvement is most highly rated for Compensation and benefits and The Home Depot is most highly rated for Culture.
Lowe's has earned an impressive recognition courtesy of Fortune. The company made Fortune's Top 50 All-Star list of the "World's Most Admired Companies" for the first time since 2011, ranking No. 47.
Lowe's was founded in 1946, while Home Depot was established in 1978. But the newer store embarked on its expansion first.
Today, The Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement retailer with approximately 475,000 orange-blooded associates and more than 2,300 stores in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
The Home Depot Customer Service
Shopping at The Home Depot is similar to Lowe's, though reviewers and shoppers report The Home Depot employees seem to be slightly more attentive to customer needs and requests. There's a good reason, too.
The Home Depot is most highly rated for Culture and Lowe's Home Improvement is most highly rated for Compensation and benefits. Learn more, read reviews and see open jobs.
For instance, Home Depot often offers better prices than Lowe's but may not carry some specialty items, whereas Lowe's tends to carry more niche products but generally charges higher prices overall compared to Home Depot.
The Home Depot has been recognized on Fortune's 2023 Most Admired Companies list, ranking #1 in the specialty retail category and #20 overall. Fortune worked with Korn Ferry, surveying 1,500 companies and determined the best-regarded companies in 52 industries.
Home Depot top selling categories are: Indoor Garden: 9.52% of total revenue ($14.99 billion) Appliances: 9.18% of total revenue ($14.46 billion) Electrical/Lighting: 8.73% of total revenue ($13.74 billion)
Lowe's is a financially sound firm that has maintained a consistent profit over the years. They fall back when it comes to international market reach and their rather weak customer service. While working on improving these major factors, they should also make effective financial decisions to avoid falling into losses.
1. Remember that Lowe's and Home Depot price match each other, so finding the cheapest name-brand items is easy. If you're shopping for name-brand items that both Lowe's and Home Depot carry, you can always get the lowest price between the two.
Lowe's Home Improvement competitors include The Home Depot, Best Buy, Sam's Club and Bed Bath & Beyond.