Home Depot pushes pro focus

Home Depot is reshaping stores, delivery and digital tools around professional contractors as it looks for growth beyond the do-it-yourself shopper. (corporate.homedepot.com) The company told investors on December 9, 2025 that one of its three core priorities is to “win the pro,” alongside improving its stores and its connected online-and-store business. Home Depot said it sees about a $1.1 trillion market and reaffirmed fiscal 2025 sales growth guidance of about 3%. (corporate.homedepot.com) That push now runs through acquisitions as well as store operations. Home Depot bought SRS Distribution in June 2024 after announcing the $18.25 billion deal in March 2024, and SRS completed the acquisition of GMS for about $5.5 billion on September 4, 2025. (corporate.homedepot.com, corporate.homedepot.com, corporate.homedepot.com) SRS sells to roofers, landscapers and pool contractors through specialty distribution yards instead of big-box aisles. GMS adds drywall, ceilings and steel framing, giving Home Depot more reach with contractors who buy for whole jobs, not weekend projects. (corporate.homedepot.com, corporate.homedepot.com) Inside the core chain, Home Depot has been changing stores for speed. In its 2024 annual report, the company said it had transformed store front ends to get customers in and out faster and invested in supply-chain systems to cut delivery lead times. (ir.homedepot.com) Those supply-chain changes include stocking more fast-moving items in 19 direct fulfillment centers and using third-party last-mile carriers. Home Depot said those moves produced its fastest delivery speeds across the widest range of products in company history, including same-day and next-day delivery options. (ir.homedepot.com) The company is now adding contractor-specific tracking for heavier orders. On March 5, 2026, Home Depot said it would launch real-time tracking for big and bulky building-material deliveries by the end of the first quarter, with minute-by-minute updates aimed at helping crews plan job sites. (corporate.homedepot.com) It is also building software around the job, not just the sale. On March 18, 2026, Home Depot said it was expanding project-management and artificial-intelligence tools for professional renovators, remodelers and builders so they can manage materials and jobs in one workspace. (corporate.homedepot.com) The timing reflects a housing market that has stayed tight even as repair and maintenance work continues. In its 2025 annual report, Home Depot said elevated interest rates, weak housing affordability and economic uncertainty were still pressuring demand, even as fiscal 2025 sales rose 3.2% to $164.7 billion and U.S. comparable sales edged up 0.5%. (ir.homedepot.com) Trade coverage has tracked the same shift in practical terms. Hardlines reported on February 27, 2026 that contractors were “leading the charge” in Home Depot’s expansion, with the SRS and GMS deals central to that effort, and Home Depot Canada followed on April 13 with more pro-focused moves. (hardlines.ca, hardlines.ca) Home Depot still serves the do-it-yourself customer in more than 2,300 stores across North America, and it is still opening new locations, including 12 stores across eight United States states in 2026. But the company’s recent spending, delivery changes and software launches all point in the same direction: bigger baskets, repeat orders and contractors who buy on a deadline. (corporate.homedepot.com, corporate.homedepot.com)