Home Depot has become synonyms with home improvement supplies not just in the United States, but all over North America. Home Depot was founded in 1978 and has grown into a billion-dollar company. It has overtaken several other home improvement stores to take the number one spot as the go-to home supplies store for both high-end and affordable supplies. Seeing as the company is such a major force in the industry, it is only natural that they have several competitors vying for their coveted spot. Here are a few of Home Depots’ top competitors.

1. Lowes.

  • Founded: March 1921
  • Headquarters: Mooresville, North Carolina,United States.

Need to know

Lowes Company Inc was founded by Lucius Smith Lowe. The first store sold a variety of items including horse tack and groceries. They were previously the largest home improvement store in the United States before they were surpassed by Home Depot in 1989. The majority of Lowe’s stores are located in the United States but they have stores in Canada and operated 24 stores out of Mexico before the stores were shut down.

Lowes opened its first store in Canada in 2007. In addition to selling home improvement supplies, Lowe’s employees are trained and experienced enough to offer expert advice on purchases.

>>MORE: Top Starbucks Competitors & Alternatives

2. Ace Hardware.

  • Founded: 1924
  • Headquarters: Oak Brook, Illinois, United States

Need to know

Ace Hardware was originally founded as Ace Stores in 1924. The store was renamed Ace Hardware Corporation in 1931. It was named after the popular Ace fighter jets in WWII. The brand is also the largest hardware retail cooperative. Ace Hardware has stores in the Caribbean, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. They also have stores in Canada.

Each Ace hardware store is independently owned and is often tailored to the needs of its resident community since the owners are also locals themselves. It is not uncommon to see Ace Hardware stores of different sizes in different locations. Ace Hardware’s popular jingle ‘Ace is the place with the helpful hardware man’ was changed to ‘Ace is the place with the helpful hardware folks’ to be more gender-encompassing and progressive.

>>MORE: Top Jira Competitors & Alternatives

3. Walmart.

  • Founded: July 1962
  • Headquarters: Bentonville, Arkansas, United States.

Need to know

Walmart is a chain of hypermarkets that sells a variety of items including home improvement supplies and groceries. It was founded by Sam Walton in Rogers, Arkansas, and has stores in 24 countries. Walmart is the biggest private employer with over 2 million employees and it is also the largest revenue-generating company globally. Walmart has over 10,000 stores worldwide and also owns all Sam’s Club stores, a membership-only warehouse store. Sams club has over 600 stores across the United States and other countries worldwide.

Sam Waltons second location for his store is now the Walmart Museum open to visitors interested in learning about the origins of the store.

>>MORE: Top Zillow Competitors & Alternatives

4. True Value.

  • Founded: 1948
  • Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois, United States

Need to know

True value is a wholesaler that has different smaller brand retailers that identify with and are supported by the True Value company. These include hardware and home improvement, Party Central, Grand Rental station and more. The brand was founded by John Cotter who started the Cotter & Company brand. He started a neighborhood store in 1916, at just 12 years old. He then acquired Hibbard, Spencer, and Bartlett plus the True Value trademark in 1963.

Today, the brand is operational in more than 60 countries and has more than 4,500 stores around the world. Customer retail polls also show that True Value ranks number 1 in hardware retail.

>>MORE: Top Bill.com Competitors & Alternatives

5. At Home.

  • Founded: 1979
  • Headquarters: Plano, Texas, United States.

Need to know

At home is a home decor store with over 200 locations across the United States. CEO Kelly Evans recently stated that the brand could grow to over 600 stores in the near future if they maintain their yearly 20% growth rates. The company was originally called Garden Ridge Pottery and later, Garden Ridge. Garden Ridge filed for bankruptcy in 2004 and the At Home brand was borne from its ashes in 2014. This included a complete rebrand of the logo and colors of the company which cost an estimated $20 million. The brand offers affordable home decor and hardware at low prices and keeps a steady stream of customers.

Hellman & Friedman acquired the at home brand in 2021.

>>MORE: Top GoodRx Competitors & Alternatives

6. Menards.

  • Founded: 1958
  • Headquarters: Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States

Need to know

Menards is a home improvement company founded in 1960 by John Manard Jr. It was first called Menards Cashway Lumber but the last two names were dropped and the company is now simply known as Menards. The company has over 300 stores and is the third-largest home improvement store in the United States. Some of its branches started carrying groceries as well as home improvement goods in 2007.

John Menard started the company as a college student by building post-frame buildings for the booming agriculture industry in Wisconsin. In addition to lumber, he would also sell other building materials. The company has since grown into a high-ranking brand in its industry.

>>MORE: Top Reuters Competitors & Alternatives

7. Target.

  • Founded: June 1902
  • Headquarters: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States.

Need to know

Target is a retail company in the cheap chic niche of the retail industry and is primarily concerned with upscale discount shopping. Target is a significant player in the retail industry with over 400,000 employees and 1900 stores. It was originally called the Goodfellow Dry Goods. The brand has undergone several name changes under the Dayton Corporation. The first target was commissioned in 1962. Finally, in 2000, the entire Dayton corporation was renamed the Target Corporation.

The brand has stores in 50 states plus the District of Columbia and owns Roundel and Shipt. The store previously had its line of pharmacies, but they were all acquired by CVS Health in 2015. The brand also has larger stores with more checkout lanes, bigger departments, and food courts called Super Targets.

>>MORE: Top Beyond Meat Competitors & Alternatives

8. Amazon.

  • Founded: July 1994
  • Headquarters: Seattle, Washington, United States.

Need to know

Amazon is an e-commerce and digital technology company located in the United States. It was founded by Jeff Bezos as Cadabra, an online site for books. Soon, the brand launched into selling different categories of items like video games, furniture, home accessories, and more. Amazon is highly innovative and is known as the most valuable company in the world as well as the largest online marketplace in the world. In addition to selling third-party items, the brand also creates its own electronic devices like tablets, speakers, and ebook readers.

>>MORE: Top Datadog Competitors & Alternatives

9. Best Buy.

  • Founded: August 1966
  • Headquarters: Richfield, Minnesota, United States.

Need to know

Best Buy started as an audio specialty store before branching off into other electronics, Hardware, and home accessories. The brand was founded by Richard Schulze and a business partner who was later bought out after the success of the company in its first year. The idea for the name ‘Best Buy’ was borne after its main store was gutted by a tornado. Schulze decided to have a sale on the slightly damaged items calling it a deal of the ‘best buys.’ The sale was wildly successful and the company was renamed Best Buy in 1983.

>>MORE: Top Ashley Madison Competitors & Alternatives

10. Williams Sonoma

  • Founded: 1956
  • Headquarters: San Francisco, United States

Need to know

Williams Sonoma is a home furnishings retail store that ranks among the biggest e-commerce brands in the United States. Their brands include Pottery Barn, West Elm, Rejuvenation, and Williams Graham. They have over 600 stores across the United States. They acquired Pottery Barn from the Gap in 1986, adding 27 of its existing stores to the Williams Sonoma chain. They have since included a Pottery Barn outlet for teens and kids carrying furniture for this demographic.

They acquired Rejuvenation, a light fixtures store in 2011, and added it to their growing catalog of home improvement stores. Their first international store was opened in 2001 and was based in Toronto. They have since opened outlets in The Middle East, Puerto Rico, Australia, and the UK.

>>MORE: Turo Competitors & Alternatives

SOURCES