Gardeners' Paradise

The Home Depot (Atlanta) is expanding its newest concept store — Home Depot Landscape Supply — to Texas with five new locations. Arlington, Texas will host the first store opening this month, with other locations expected to open later this spring in Plano, Grapevine, Lewisville and Dallas.

“These stores are our response to demands from professional landscapers and avid do-it yourselfers, alike,” said Todd Williams, president of Home Depot Landscape Supply. “We want to take Home Depot's lawn/garden offerings to a higher level to reach a new set of customers, who have told us they would like to see Home Depot develop an even more sophisticated lawn/garden offering.”

The home improvement retailer launched the concept last summer with three pilot stores in Atlanta.

The stores offer products ranging from live goods to chemicals and tools to landscaping materials. Each Landscape Supply store also features a tool rental department, a 5- to 7-acre fenced in “Pro-Yard,” about 12,000-square-feet of heated/cooled space and a covered greenhouse. Stores will have about 30 associates, including certified nursery experts.

The Home Depot operates 1502 retail outlets, including 1441 Home Depot stores in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, 52 EXPO Design Centers, five Home Depot Supply stores, three Home Depot Landscape Supply stores and one Home Depot Floor Store. During fiscal 2003, it expects to open 200 stores and add 40,000 associates while also embarking on a $250 million store remodeling program.