Going South

The Home Depot is continuing its expansion into Mexico, by opening a new store in Tijuana, B.C. This marks the tenth Home Depot store to open in Mexico and the second the company has constructed in the last year.

“Home Depot's commitment to customer service, along with offering consumers the most extensive product lines at the most affordable prices, will be a major part of our focus in Tijuana,” says Ricardo Saldivar, president of Home Depot Mexico.

Atlanta-based Home Depot entered the Mexican market in June 2001, by acquiring Total HOME with stores in Monterrey and Mexico City. The locations were converted to Home Depot stores by March 2002. Also earlier this year, it acquired Del Norte, a four-store home improvement chain, making Home Depot the second-largest home improvement retailer in Mexico.

The company plans to build and open two more stores in Mexico by the end of the year, with additional sites planned for 2003. Home Depot currently employs 1600 associates in Mexico and operates from a divisional office in Monterrey.