Lowes Organizational Analysis
Lowes CompaniesInc. Was established in 1952 in Northern Wilkesboro, North Carolina which is close to where their new headquarters is located at Mooresville, North Carolina. The company started out as a local hardware store whose main customer base was independent and professional contractors. Lowe's began building their modern stores in 1994 and it quickly expanded into a home improvement retail store currently having over 1385 stores up and running. Lowe's sells various products including special order items through stores and over the internet.
It is the world's second largest retailer in home improvement. Currently it has a network of over 1,750 retail outlets all over the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Some of the products that Lowes deals in include paint, lumber, building materials, flooring, lawn and landscape products, seasonal living, nursery, lighting, hardware, tools, home organization, home fashion and rough electrical. Lowe's stocks popular national brands as well as exclusive private brands across different categories. The line of services Lowe provides are structured around installed sales such as millwork and cabinets, flooring and countertops, repair and protection services and credit financing through Lowe's Project Card and Lowes Visa card. Their appliances form the majority of their sales at 11%, which is followed by lumber and paint which is 75 of the sales and finally,...
The firm has been able to achieve sales of $48.82 million within the year 2010 and it is seen to be registering a year over year increase of about 1.3% (GuruFocus.com, 2011).
Lowe companies Inc., a Fortune 50 company has ben a dominant player when it comes to the home improvement segment. It has an efficient supply chain management, cost-reduction strategies, economies of scale, branding as well as its integration of the latest technologies into its supply chain network has enabled Lowes to secure a durable competitive advantage.
Lowe distribution center strategy
Lowe's decided to implement the hub and spoke distribution model in order for it to encourage growth so as to gain market share and achieve wider profit margins. This strategy has enabled Lowe's to gain a large share of the home improvement market. According to analysts, the Lowe's distribution strategy has made it possible for the company to gain a competitive advantage. Lowes's set up a network comprising of nine distribution centers for the 850 stores it currently has. Each of these distribution centers is designed in such a way that it serves between 100 and 125 stores. The organization plans to open close to 100 stores every year over a period of next several years.
A typical Lowe's distribution center is made up of…
Home Improvement Retail Operations Analysis A Comparison and Analysis of Company-Specific Strategies used by Lowes and The Home Depot The two biggest firms operating in the retail space that targets the home improvement niche are Lowes and the Home Depot. These two firms essentially dominate the industry with Home Depot accounting for nearly sixty percent of total revenues, and Lowe's capturing a bulk of the rest (about 39%), but there are number of
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Home Depot vs. Lowe's Over the course of the last ten to twenty years, two companies have emerged as the clear favorites when it comes to home and property improvement specialty stores. While general retail stores like Target and Walmart have offered a peppering of home improvement items like their hardware and home/garden departments, Lowe's and Home Depot are unmatched when it comes to overall selection and such. Indeed, they are