Full Description

Lowe’s Companies, Inc., incorporated in 1952, is a home improvement retailer. As of January 30, 2009, the Company operated 1,638 stores across 50 states and 11 stores in Canada. Its 1,649 stores represent approximately 187 million square feet of retail selling space. The Company serves homeowners, renters and commercial business customers. Homeowners and renters primarily consist of do-it-yourself (DIY) customers and do-it-for-me (DIFM) customers who utilize the Company’s installed sales programs, as well as others buying for personal and family use. Commercial business customers include those who work in the construction, repair/remodel, commercial and residential property management, and business maintenance professions. The Company offers a line of products and services for home decorating, maintenance, repair, remodeling and property maintenance. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. offers home improvement products in the categories, such as appliances, lumber, paint, flooring, building materials, millwork, lawn and landscape products, fashion plumbing, hardware, lighting, tools, seasonal living, rough plumbing, outdoor power equipment, cabinets and countertops, nursery, rough electrical, home environment, home organization, and windows and walls.

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. opened 115 new stores, during the fiscal year ended January 30, 2009 (fiscal 2008), including five Canadian stores located primarily in the Greater Toronto Area. Its store openings include three primary prototypes: 117,000-square-foot (117K) and 103,000-square-foot (103K) stores for large markets and a 94,000-square-foot (94K) store to serve smaller markets.

The Company offers installation services in over 40 categories with flooring, millwork, and cabinets and countertops. The Company’s Special Order Sales product offerings provide customers the opportunity to select an assortment of product options beyond the approximately 40,000 it carries in its stores. Lowes.com provides a 24/7 shopping experience and provides online product information, customer ratings and reviews, online buying guides and how-to videos and information. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. offers a credit card for retail customers. In addition, it offers a Lowe’s Project Card in all stores. Lowe’s Project Card provides a project, in-store financing solution to complement the Company’s Lowe’s Consumer Revolving Credit Card.

The Company’s home improvement store stocks approximately 40,000 items, with hundreds of thousands of items available through its Special Order Sales system. Each store carries a selection of national brand name merchandise, such as KitchenAid, Samsung, Whirlpool, Pella, Werner, Kohler, DeWalt, John Deere, Troy-Bilt, Bosch, Valspar, Owens Corning, Electrolux and Porter-Cable. Its merchandise selection provides the DIY, DIFM and commercial business customer a one-stop shop for products needed to complete home improvement, repair, maintenance or construction projects.