Professionals Wanted

Home Depot, the Atlanta-based home improvement retailer, is opening its third concept store geared to professional builders, contractors, tradesmen and property managers. The store, opening February 28 in Mesquite, Texas, will be called The Home Depot Supply, but it isn't the typical warehouse designed for do-it-yourselfers.

The 130,000-square-foot supply house has separate areas devoted to electrical, paint, plumbing, millwork, hardware, lumber and building materials. A Tool Rental Center stocked with professional-grade tools and equipment available for rent by the hour, day, week or month is a highlighted area. Additional features include a “blueprint area” where builders and contractors can review plans or bids with clients, a builder showroom complete with kitchen, lighting and flooring design services, and reliable delivery of concrete by the yard to job sites.

“The Home Depot Supply is geared specifically to the needs and requirements of the professional customer,” says Angel Espinoza, manager of The Home Depot Supply store. “If you are an electrician or a painter, you can rest assured that you are dealing with someone who speaks your language and understands your unique needs.”

One of only three such stores the company operates nationwide, The Home Depot Supply is the first of its kind in the Southwest. The other two locations are in Phoenix and Colma, Calif.

The Home Depot is the largest home improvement retailer, operating 1,352 stores. It is also expanding into Mexico and South America and is testing a new smaller-store format called “Home Depot Lite.” The Home Depot Supply concept is being rolled out as part of its strategy aimed at capturing more of the professional contractor market.