Trading Orange for Off-White

In a bid to attract more female shoppers, Home Depot Inc. (Atlanta) plans to open a downsized store in the Chicago suburb of Glenview, Ill., next spring that will replace the chain's bright orange warehouse-style interior with a softer, cleaner look.

Crain's Chicago Business reports the store will have 80,000 square feet, about one-third the size of a typical Home Depot. The smaller store is part of the company's recent attempts to remodel itself after years of aggressive expansion.

The world's largest home-improvement retailer has been testing “women-friendly” stores near its home base, in Blairsville and Loganville, Ga., and is starting to roll out aspects of that format around the country. Plans call for off-white in lieu of industrial orange racks and fixtures, a wide assortment of appliances, lots of kitchen layouts at the front of the store, as well as shorter shelves, brighter lighting and less clutter.

Home Depot's Glenview prototype comes as No. 2 home-improvement chain Lowe's Cos. (Wilkesboro, N.C.) prepares to enter the Chicago market. Lowe's, which has 16 stores in other parts of Illinois, will move into the Chicago area early next year with stores in suburban St. Charles, Naperville, Lake in the Hills and Lincolnwood.