• Defining "Home Center" Is Tricky Business
• Packaged Facts' Definition
• Historical Overview: Home Center Forerunners Spring
• Up in the 1950s
• Home Centers, Hardware Stores, and Lumberyards Start to Blend
• Home Center Institute Formed in 1971
• Home Depot Drives Market Forward
• Home Centers Spurred by Self-Promotion
• DIY Habit Boon to Industry Growth
• Stores Adding New Departments
• Industry Keeps on Growing

• Store Size Trending Mostly Upward...
• Number of SKUs
• Product Mix
• Wood Is Leading Category
• [Table] Share of Sales by Product Category: Building Supply Retailers (1994)
• Sales Per Store
• Business Hours

• [Graphic] Retail Dollar Sales: Home Centers vs. All Home Improvement Retailers (1990-1994)

• Home Center Sales
• [Table] Estimated Retail Dollar Sales and Growth:
• Home Centers (1990-1994)
• Home Center Units
• [Table] Estimated Number of Home Center Units: 1990-1994
• Sales for All DIY Retailers Reach $116 Billion in 1994
• [Table] Retail Dollar Sales and Growth of Home Improvement Retailers: 1990-1994
• Home Improvement Units Exceed 46,000
• [Table] Number of Home Improvement Units: 1990-1994 Home Center Share of DIY Retailer Sales Increasing
• [Table] Home Center Share of DIY Retailer Sales and Units: 1990-1994

• A Strong Relationship to the Economy
• Housing Starts Are Important Sales Indicator
• House Resales Are Similarly Telling
• Number of U.S. Households on the Rise
• America's Homes Are Aging, Need Repair
• Home Improvement Products Market on the Rise
• [Table] Home Improvement Product Sales: 1989-1999
• Weather a Key Factor for Home Center Sales
• Natural Disasters Boost Sales
• Aging Baby Boomers Bode Well for Market
• Growth of Do-It-Yourself Movement
• BIY Trend May Be Even More Important
• Today's Consumer Craves Everyday Low Price
• U.S. Retailing Dominated by Giant Chains
• Aggressive Self-Promotion Drives Market
• Regional Success vs. National Success
• Industry Growth Driven by Added Square Footage
• Community Resistance to New Home Centers
• [Graphic] Projected Growth in Home Center Dollar Sales: 1995-2000

• Home Center Sales to Reach $88 Billion by 2000
• [Table] Projected Growth in Home Center Dollar Sales: 1995-2000
• Home Center Units to Number Nearly 11,600
• [Table] Projected Growth in Home Center Units: 1995-2000

• [Graphic] Share of Home Center Sales: 1994

• NHCN Top 500 List Illustrates Market Leaders
• Home Depot Is Industry Kingpin
• Nine Out of Top Ten Chart Dollar Sales Gains
• Seven of Top Ten Chart Store Unit Gain
• [Table] The Top Ten Home Center Retailers: 1993-1994
• Top Ten Chains Claim 61% of Total Home Center Sales
• [Table] Share of Home Center Sales: Top Ten Retailers (1993-1994)
• Over Two-Thirds of NHCN's Top 50 Retailers Classified as Home Centers
• Nine Home Centers Place at Billion-Dollar Level
• Eighty-Four Lumber Has Most Stores Open
• DIY Share Ranges from 100% to 25%
• Contractor Sales Growing
• Store Size Not Necessarily a Function of Sales
• Lumber Specialists Tend to Carry Fewer SKUs
• Number of Employees Reflects Total Store Sales
• [Chart] The Top 50 Home Improvement Retailers: 1994

• Home Depot Sets the Pace
• Retailers Trending Larger
• Consumers Drive Home Center Industry
• Consolidation a Driving Force
• Going Public to Restructure Debt
• Cutting Costs
• Regional Variations in Growth
• Smaller-Population Areas Being Tapped
• Convenience, Proximity Important Considerations
• Adding New Departments and Services
• Adding SKUs
• Emphasizing Power Tools
• Increasing Store Size
• Smaller Chains Try Different Strategies

• Sales Up 35% in 1994
• U.S. Expansion
• New Store Formats
• In-Store Dining
• New Direct Delivery System and Outside Sales Force
• How-to Home Improvement Shows in the Works
• International Expansion

• Sales Top $6 Billion in 1994
• Larger Stores and More DIY Emphasis
• Regional Distribution Centers and New Store Prototype
• Company Co-Founds HIRI and Establishes Home Safety Council

• Kmart Subsidiary Places Third Among Home Centers
• Unprofitable Stores Shut Down
• Company Moving to Builders Square II Format
• New Store Opened in Puerto Rico

• Sales Increase 5% in 1994, to $2.7 Billion
• Current Focus on Both DIY Shoppers and Professionals
• New Store Formats, Some Not Successful
• New Company President and Mexican Expansion

• Fifth-Ranked Chain Increases Sales 17% in 1994
• Company Emphasizing HQ Format
• Another New Concept: The Home Project Center

• Company Posts Strong Increases in Units and Sales
• New Stores Opened in Michigan and Indiana
• Superstore Slated for 1995

• Sales Down 14% in 1994
• Focus Returns to the West
• Chain Emphasizing Trained Sales Staff
• New "Category-Dominant" Store Format
• EDI Contributes to Vendor Alliances

• Sales Reach $1.3 Billion in 1994
• Chain Increasing Its Professional Edge
• Unit Expansion Planned

• Wickes' Largely Focused on Professionals
• Company Hot on Acquisitions
• Appealing to Builders and DIY Customers
• Several New Additions in 1994

• DIY Consumer Is Primary Market
• Increased Competition from Top-Ranked Home Centers

• Sales Down 10% in 1994
• Store Closings and Downsizing
• Contractors' Warehouse Aimed at Professionals
• New Project-Pros Format Being Tested
• Expanding South of the Border

• Merger with Channel Is the Big News
• New Rickel Represents Warehouse Alternative
• Channel Name to Be Dropped

• Company Holds Steady in Sales and Store Count
• Company Focusing on Professionals, Training
• Scotty's Hot TV Spots Being Recycled

• Company Adds 13 Stores in 1994
• Competitive Activity Includes Central Hardware Acquisition
• and New Merchandising Plan
• Personnel Changes

• Ernst Ups Sales, Goes Public in 1994
• Secondary Markets Are Major Focus
• Kitchen/Bath Design Centers Added to Stores
• First Superstores Open in 1991, Many More Planned
• Customer Service Is Name of the Game

• Western Chain Increases Sales 61% in 1994
• A Strong Focus on Selection and Service
• A Market Saturation Approach
• Canadian Stores Divested
• Eagle Goes to Court

• Sales and Units Show Healthy Growth
• Service and Selection Are Major Focal Points
• New Stores Open in 1994 and 1995
• Weather Conditions Affect Sales

• Sales Focus Holds Steady at 90% DIY
• Pergament Express Stores Capitalize on Smaller Size
• Company Cuts Costs

• Arkansas's Largest Home Improvement Retailer
• Competitive Approach Involves Customer Service
• and Store Expansion
• Company Facing Increasing Competition

• Home Center Gains Based on Wide Selection and Low Prices
• Lumberyards Re-emphasizing Core Business
• Independents Find the Going Tough, Compete by
• Stressing Customer Service
• Independent Store Survival Tactics
• Independent Stores That Are Contractor-Oriented May
• Have Competitive Edge
• Buying Groups Help Smaller Stores Compete
• on Selection and Price
• Smaller Stores Focus on Either DIY or Professional; Home
• Centers Trend Toward Diversification
• Surviving Hardware Stores Larger
• ...But There's Still a Place for Small

• Nearly Half of Adults Shop at Home Improvement Stores
• Heavy Shoppers Are Largest Group
• [Graphic] Frequency of Shopping at Home Improvement Stores
• Shopping Linked to Education and Occupation
• Consumers Age 45-64 Represent Core Market
• Home Ownership Another Key Factor
• Suburbanites and Midwesterners Also Likely Shoppers
• Likelihood of Shopping Increases with Income
• [Chart] Demographic Characteristics Favoring Home Improvement Store Shopping by Number of Shopping Trips
• Resisters
• Two-Fifths of Adults Shop at True Value, Ace, or Home Depot
• [Table] Home Improvement Store Shopping by Retail Chain
• Age Is Key Factor Regardless of Store
• [Chart] Demographic Characteristics Favoring Shopping in Home Improvement Stores: By Chain
• One-Third of U.S. Adults Make Home Improvements
• Most Home Improvements Cost $2,000 or Less
• [Graphic] Share of Adults Doing Home Improvements in Last 12 Months: By Amount Spent
• Age a Key Factor in Home Improvement
• Occupation of Home Improvers
• Household Income Exceeds $30,000
• Home Ownership a Natural Indicator
• Family Status and Household Size
• Home Improvers Often Midwestern and Suburban
• [Chart] Demographic Characteristics Favoring Home Improvement: By Amount Spent
• Wallcoverings, Door Knobs, Locks Most Popular Products
• [Table] Number and Share of Adults Buying Home Improvement Goods in Last 12 Months: By Product Type
• Bathroom Is Most Common Area for Renovation
• [Table] Interior and Exterior Home Remodeling One-Fourth of Americans Painted Homes in Past Year
• [Table] Interior and Exterior Home Painting (Last 12 Months
• Middle-Aged Homeowners Are Key Consumer Segment for Home Improvement

Appendix: Addresses Of Selected Retailers