One key to Dwelling Depot’s progress technique: Nabbing larger orders from residence professionals

Home Depot‘s subsequent CEO Ted Decker mentioned he desires residence professionals to think about the corporate as greater than a comfort retailer.

The retailer desires to win contractors’ bigger, deliberate orders, like 1000’s of ft of flooring — not simply last-minute purchases after they scramble to discover a instrument or end a job. That shift is a part of Dwelling Depot’s progress technique because it tries to maintain momentum past the pandemic and attain $200 billion in annual gross sales.

“We’re form of the 7-Eleven for execs — comfort, worth, large product and types — however what we’re constructing now’s one thing fully totally different and revolutionary to get the professional deliberate buy,” mentioned Decker, the corporate’s chief working officer, Tuesday on the corporate’s earnings name.

Dwelling Depot reported Tuesday that its sales grew 11% within the fiscal fourth quarter in contrast with the 12 months in the past interval. The retailer gave a conservative outlook for the approaching fiscal 12 months, with gross sales tendencies “barely optimistic” and earnings per share rising at a low single-digit tempo.

Dwelling Depot executives didn’t say when the retailer expects to hit that $200 billion purpose, however it could mark a virtually $50 billion achieve from its annual gross sales in fiscal 2021.

Pandemic-fueled residence enchancment initiatives have lifted Dwelling Depot’s gross sales by greater than $40 billion over the previous two years. That is roughly the identical quantity of complete gross sales progress that Dwelling Depot had from 2009 to 2018.

About half of Dwelling Depot’s complete gross sales come from residence professionals, Chief Monetary Officer Richard McPhail mentioned. He estimated on the corporate’s earnings name that the retailer’s complete addressable market in North American is greater than $900 billion.

Its competitor, Lowe’s, can also be making an attempt to chase the extra dependable and profitable professional clients. It is traditionally had a smaller share of execs, with almost 75% to 80% of its enterprise coming from do-it-yourself clients.

Over the previous a number of years, Dwelling Depot has been investing in provide chain hubs to assist it higher cater to execs. It is in the course of a five-year plan to take a position $1.2 billion in its provide chain, together with building of huge services, referred to as flatbed distribution facilities, that may retailer and ship bigger orders. It constructed the primary one in Dallas and is opening a complete of 40 throughout main U.S. markets. It beforehand fulfilled execs’ orders out of shops.

Decker mentioned the large hubs have allowed Dwelling Depot to hold a wider merchandise combine and given execs extra assurance that they’ll get portions they want. For instance, he mentioned, a retailer up to now would possibly solely carry about 3,000 sq. ft of flooring, which is sufficient for 3 odd jobs.

With the flatbed distribution facilities, he mentioned, Dwelling Depot is getting orders for 7,000 sq. ft of flooring and for counts of 150 doorways.

Scot Ciccarelli, a retail analyst at Truist Securities, mentioned Dwelling Depot desires to vary the thought course of for execs.

Prior to now, a professional would possibly run to the Dwelling Depot retailer when a noticed blade breaks.

“Now, what if they may truly begin to persuade that contractor ‘Do not simply get your damaged noticed blade right here. Why do not you get your doorways and millwork right here?'” he mentioned. “If you are able to do an enormous multifamily venture and you can begin to achieve traction with that, that turns into form of an enormous deal.”