When we say “Home Depot,” almost everyone knows we’re talking about the huge home improvement retailer. With each store averaging 105,000 ft2 in size and with around 36,000 products in-store and more than 2 million online, The Home Depot is one of the biggest retailers in the world.
The Home Depot is well-known for its prices, great quality, and variety. It provides anything from electrical, construction, and kitchen materials to gardening goods and decorations. Here, you can learn more about The Home Depot and read some amazing Home Depot facts and stats that will definitely blow your mind.
The Top 8 Most Interesting Home Depot Facts and Stats You Need to Know
- Home Depot offers one-on-one sessions with customers.
- Home Depot’s largest shareholder has just a little over 8% of the company.
- In 2019, The Home Depot’s sales were $110.2 billion.
- Home Depot had more than 1.5 billion customer transactions in 2019.
- In 2015, The Home Depot agreed to pay $83,000 to female employees who claimed to have faced gender discrimination at work.
- Home Depot employees receive a range of benefits if they’re injured at work.
- The Home Depot’s name could have been Bad Bernie’s Buildall.
- In its early days, The Home Depot’s shelves were often filled with empty boxes.
Home Depot Statistics
1. The first two Home Depot stores opened in 1979 in Atlanta, Georgia.
(The Home Depot)
Founders Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank were enthusiastic DIY-ers who dreamed of having a store that would offer a huge variety of products—at great prices—for people who loved doing DIY projects as much as they did. One of the Home Depot history facts indicates that this took place with the help of investment banker Ken Langone and merchandising master Pat Farrah.
2. Home Depot offers its customers informational and educational one-on-one sessions.
(The Home Depot)
DIY clinics, workshops, and one-on-one sessions were implemented shortly after the two stores in Atlanta opened. The Home Depot facts note that all associates not only have to know what to tell the customers about a product, but they also must be able to show them how it works.
3. The Home Depot’s largest shareholder has just a bit over 8%.
(Market Screener)
Over time, as the retailer grew, The Home Depot became a shareholder company. The Home Depot facts show that the largest shareholders of The Home Depot are the Vanguard Group, with a share of 8.03%. Next is SSgA Funds Management, with a 4.83% share, and then there’s Capital Research & Management, with a share of 2.99%.
Home Depot Sales Statistics
4. In 2019, The Home Depot’s sales were $110.2 billion.
(The Home Depot, Small Business)
With around 36,000 products in each store, Home Depot company stats confirm that this is one of the biggest home improvement retail companies in the world. Thanks to its competitive prices and employee know-how, the total sales in 2019 represented a 1.9% increase from the previous year.
5. Electrical, plumbing, DIY, and kitchen products make up more than 35% of the store’s net sales.
(Market Screener)
The Home Depot is the number-one retail distributor for residential remodeling products. It’s well-known for its electrical items, plumbing, DIY, kitchen materials, hardware, lighting, construction material, etc. However, Home Depot statistics like this one show that electrical, plumbing, DIY, and kitchen products make the most money—more than 35% of the net sales.
6. The Home Depot online sales statistics show that between 10% and 15% of the company’s total sales are online.
(ecommerceDB, The Street)
The store offers more than 2 million products online. As a result, further Home Depot online order stats show that during the first four months of 2020, the number of online customers had more than doubled since the previous quarter.
7. Home Depot had more than 1.6 billion customer transactions in 2019.
(Statista)
For The Home Depot, customer statistics show that in 2019 The Home Depot carried out 1.616 billion transactions worldwide. On average, customers spent a little less than $70 per transaction.
Employment
8. The Home Depot has over 400,000 employees.
(The Home Depot, The Home Depot)
The Home Depot has over 2,200 store locations in the US, Canada, and Mexico and almost 400,000 “orange-blooded” employees. In case of disasters and family sickness emergencies, all of Home Depot’s associates are able to get financial help from The Home Depot’s Homer Fund.
Additional employee facts about Home Depot note that the company provides training for all its associates to learn the business and grow their leadership skills. In 2017, The Home Depot completed around 22 million training courses.
9. In 2015, The Home Depot agreed to pay $83,000 to women who claimed they faced gender discrimination at work.
(Los Angeles Times)
In 2015, 46 women working at a Southern California store location claimed they weren’t accepted for higher paid positions and had to continue working as cashiers while their fellow male colleagues were promoted. The Home Depot gender discrimination statistics confirm that the business agreed to pay more than $83,000 to all 46 women and to hire and promote more women. However, they didn’t admit the discrimination happened.
10. Home Depot employees receive a range of benefits if they’re injured at work.
(John Foy & Associates)
Working at a store like The Home Depot, it’s almost certain that at some point, every worker, even the most careful one, may have some kind of accident. This employer has fair benefits for all the workers who get injured at work.
The Home Depot injury statistics show that the company has covered anything from slipping on the store’s floor to being hit by large equipment. All the associates who have an accident at work can receive medical care, weekly wage replacement, and permanent disability payments, when applicable.
The Home Depot: Interesting Facts
11. The Home Depot’s name could have been Bad Bernie’s Buildall.
(Business Insider)
One of the interesting facts about Home Depot notes that The Home Depot wasn’t the originally planned name. The Home Depot’s historian and archivist Jennifer Wyatt said that early investor Marjorie Buckley and her husband intervened and soon after came up with the new idea for the name, preferring its simplicity.
12. Employees wear orange to be more visible and noticeable.
(Business Insider, The Home Depot)
The Home Depot is often called by its nickname, “Big Orange.” Other Facts about Home Depot show that Canadian branding visionary Don Watt helped Marcus and Blank design and come up with the idea for their new home improvement retail store’s image.
His main goal was to find colors that would be memorable but also fit the “depot” style. Orange is not only memorable, but it also brings “value” and “energy” to mind. What’s more, the orange aprons stand out in these huge stores, so the associates are always visible and noticeable.
13. In the early days, The Home Depot’s shelves were filled with empty boxes.
(Make It)
In 1979, the founders’ and co-founders’ original plan was to open up four Home Depot stores in Atlanta. However, another fun fact about Home Depot notes that they didn’t have enough money to buy merchandise for all four, so they ended up opening just two locations.
The Home Depot’s co-founder Ken Langone claims they didn’t have enough money to even fill the two opened stores. Thus, merchandising guru Pat Farrah came up with an idea and asked suppliers to give the newly opened Home Depots empty boxes with their labels on them. Langone said they put empty boxes all over the store.
14. A cat lived in a Home Depot store for over 13 years.
(The Dodo)
One of the sweetest Home Depot fun facts discusses a cat named Depot living in a South Carolina store for over 13 years. After news that the stray might be kicked out of the store, Home Depot’s customers made a petition and got 1,500 signatures for the cat to stay in her longtime home. The Home Depot agreed for the cat to stay, and it remained Home Depot’s pet until it needed extra care—when it was adopted by one of the customers.
FAQ
Who founded Home Depot?
Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank founded The Home Depot in 1978. With the help of Ken Langone, an investment banker, and Pat Farrah, who focused on the brand’s merchandising, the first two Home Depot locations were opened in Atlanta, Georgia, in June of 1979.
(The Home Depot)
What was Home Depot’s original name?
Home Depot’s company historian and archivist, Jennifer Wyatt, once said that the name of Marcus and Blank’s company was to be Bad Bernie’s Buildall. However, an investor intervened and came up with today’s name. Both Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank loved the new “down to earth” name, and Bad Bernie’s Buildall was abandoned to history.
(Business Insider)
Who owns Home Depot?
The Home Depot is a shareholder company with several investors and shareholders. The Home Depot’s top shareholder is the Vanguard Group, Inc.—one of the world’s largest providers of mutual and exchange-traded funds—with a share of just over 8%.
(Market Screener)
How much money does Home Depot make a year?
In 2019, The Home Depot’s sales were a record $110.2 billion. The sales had increased by 1.9% compared to 2018.
(The Home Depot)
Why is Home Depot orange?
The Home Depot worked with Canadian branding designer Don Watt to produce the right image. Jennifer Wyatt, Home Depot’s company historian and archivist, said that Watt chose orange for The Home Depot’s sign because the color represents “value” and “energy.” Plus, the orange sticks out, meaning the employees’ matching aprons become more noticeable.
(Business Insider)
To Sum Up
DIY projects are becoming more and more popular each day. Thanks to stores like The Home Depot, doing these projects becomes way easier and more affordable than ever before. These Home Depot facts show us how the times have changed and continue to improve for The Home Depot. What’s more, we also discovered some amazing and interesting facts and mind-blowing statistics about The Home Depot’s founders, stores, and associates, not to mention us, the customers.
