Home Improvement

When it opened three new stores within 43 hours of each other last week,The Home Depot (Atlanta) home improvement retail chain passed the1200th-store milestone. Starting on May 31st, the three new storesdebuted in Fort Smith, Ark., Farmington, N.M. and Queens, NY. Each wasawarded a 1200th store designation.

The retailer says it plans to open 200 locations around the world in2001. “Home Depot is well-positioned for growth beyond North and SouthAmerica,” said new ceo Robert Nardelli. Last month, Home Depot acquiredTotal HOME, Mexico's second-biggest home improvement chain. The HomeDepot currently has 83 stores outside of the U.S., including Canada,Puerto Rico, Chile and Argentina.