Home Depot Targets Pros to Spark New Growth

In a home improvement market that has been flat, The Home Depot is looking to grow by gaining share among professional contractors and builders, the Financial Times reported Tuesday (April 21).

The home improvement retailer, which has traditionally served do-it-yourselfers, has made “Win the pro” a mantra, according to the report.

Home Depot is pursuing this initiative at a time when the home improvement market has been slowed by high interest rates and by remodeling costs that have leapt 45% since 2019.

“With housing turnover as low as it is, totally flat with no growth in new construction, our growth has to come from share capture right now,” Home Depot Chair, President and CEO Ted Decker told the FT.

Professional customers accounted for $90 billion of Home Depot’s $165 billion in sales last year, but the company is targeting a bigger share of the pro market that totals $700 billion, according to the report.

The firm is working to capture more of the pro business by trucking products to construction sites and by acquiring wholesale distribution companies, per the report.

PYMNTS reported in February that the rapid expansion of Home Depot’s professional business was the defining narrative of the company’s 2025 results.

The report said this shift was not merely a cyclical tilt toward contractors during a soft consumer environment, but a structural repositioning of the company’s identity. While Home Depot historically thrived on a balanced mix of DIY homeowners and professional tradespeople, it has increasingly targeted the pros whose spending patterns are more durable because they operate on longer project cycles, contractual backlogs and needs-based repairs.

The Home Depot announced Wednesday (April 15) that it aims to strengthen its same-day and next-day fulfillment strategy with its acquisition of SIMPL Automation, a company that uses advanced engineering and artificial intelligence (AI) technology to help distribution facilities operate faster and more efficiently.

In earlier acquisitions, Home Depot gained a foothold in roofing, landscaping and specialty building products with its integration of SRS Distribution; expanded its capabilities in drywall, ceilings and steel framing with its purchase of GMS; and added heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) products by entering into an agreement to buy Mingledorff’s.