1991: $6.38/share 2011:$37.08/share
The Home Depot was founded in 1978 by Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank.
Along with investment banker Ken Langone and merchandising guru Pat Farrah, the founders’ vision of one-stop shopping for the do-it-yourselfer came to fruition when they opened the first two Home Depot stores on June 22, 1979, in Atlanta, Georgia. The first stores, at around 60,000 square feet each, were cavernous warehouses that dwarfed the competition and stocked 25,000 SKUs, much more than the average hardware store at that time. Empty boxes piled high on the shelves gave the illusion of even more product.
In 1981, the company went public on NASDAQ and moved to the New York Stock Exchange in 1984. The 1980s and 1990s spawned tremendous growth for the company, with 1989 marking the celebration of its 100th store opening. The company arrived in Canada with the acquisition of Aikenhead’s home improvement centers in 1994, and it began flying its flag proudly in Mexico in 2001 through the acquisition of Total HOME.
In 2006, the company extended its reach to China by acquiring The Home Way; a 12 store chain.
If you know of a company that started small and is big today, leave a comment.
