Lowe's

   

Founded in 1946, Lowe’s has grown from a small hardware store to a FORTUNE® 50 home improvement company serving approximately 17 million customers a week in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The Lowe’s story began in North Carolina when H. Carl Buchan, part owner of the North Wilkesboro Hardware Company, envisioned creating a chain of hardware stores. At the time, Lowe’s was a typical, small-town hardware store selling everything from overalls to wash tubs, work boots and even horse collars.

Carl Buchan later purchased the company from his brother-in-law and partner, James Lowe. Buchan anticipated the post-World War II building boom and concentrated on selling only hardware, appliances and hard-to-find building materials. By eliminating wholesalers and dealing directly with manufacturers, Lowe’s esta lished a lasting reputation for low prices.

Anticipating DIY needs while still accommodating contractors, we began to enlarge stores and expand merchandise offerings. Lowe’s opened its first 100,000-square-foot store in 1990, and the modern Lo e’s began in 1999 with the launch of the first Lowe’s website.

The company expanded into Canada in 2007 and opened our first stores in Mexico in 2010. In 2013, Lowe’s aquired Orchard Supply Hardware to expand our presence in California through smaller-format neighborhood stores. We grew our Canadian footprint in 2016 with the acquisition of RONA, inc. Today, Lowe’s and its related businesses operate or service more than 2,355 home improvement and hardware stores.