ABSTRACT
Home Depot opened its first store in Atlanta in 1978 before expanding from Georgia into Florida and then into the rest of the United States. Framed around the concept of the “built from scratch” warehouse, it was quickly embraced by professional contractors as well as by the rapidly expanding “do-it-yourself” market. So successful was the Home Depot concept that traditional hardware and building supply stores were quickly eliminated from the markets in which the firm opened its outlets. The smaller regional and local home improvement stores were simply unable to compete with this superstore concept and the low prices and massive selection that it offered. As Home Depot developed its many do-it-yourself learning programs and cultivated its brand identity, smaller chains such as Ace Hardware, True Value, and Hechinger’s began to disappear.
