Atlanta, GA, April 17, 2006--With a new focus on urban markets Home Depot has buildt a new variety of its big box store in New York and Chicago. This past week another new urban store opened in Atlanta, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The new store--highly anticipated by residents who've watched the redevelopment of the area--is a hybrid that seeks to bridge the gap between the chain's Expo concept and a regular store. It's outwardly like a standard-issue Home Depot, but with layout and merchandise tweaks aim at a more urban set.
Depot executives have said they may use the hybrid model in other places where it makes sense.
Customers at the new Buckhead store will see an expanded showroom of hardwood and tile flooring just inside the front door, with mowers, patio furniture and grills lined up nearby.
"If you look at the housing stock in this area, it's great for home improvement repairs and remodels," Paul Raines, president of the company's southern division, said during a store tour. "Customers tell us they like seeing an expanded assortment, and it's more design-focused here because there's more demand for these products."
Home Depot closed a nearby Expo store last year as part of a shrinking of that unit, which caters to design enthusiasts.
"We're going to take care of our Expo customer that we missed," said Kim McKesson, senior vice president of store planning.
The shoppers' take on it?
"This is not as upscale [as Expo]," said Hudson, "but it's more so than the other Home Depots."
The new store features deeper assortments than most Home Depots in flooring, appliances and bath fixtures, including sink "vessels" and claw-foot tubs. It also boasts the biggest lighting showroom of any Home Depot in Georgia.
In the front of the store, there's a nook for do-it-yourself clinics and a garden area dubbed Landscape Supply. Home Depot has built free-standing stores with that name as a test, but Raines said using it on the new store's garden center does not indicate the stand-alone concept is being scrapped.
"We're very proud of Landscape Supply," Raines said. "We're not closing those."
The store has a large selection of ready-to-assemble furniture, a category that rival Lowe's pulled out of recently, but one for which Atlantic Station retailer IKEA is famous.
The store also has "closing rooms" where contractors can place big orders, as well as areas where customers can try out tools.
"People like to test power tools," Raines said.
