Lowe's today is the second largest home improvement retailer in the United States, behind Home Depot and ahead of Menards. Lowe's has been very successful not only at merchandising but also at financial management. Lowe's serves customers in several market segments that include homeowners, renters, and commercial business customers. Lowe's offers a variety of popular brands across a wide spectrum of merchandise lines. Installed sales are an important part of Lowe's offering and in 2011 represented 6 percent of total sales.
Over the last five years financial performance at Lowe's Companies has been disappointing. Sales are up a mere 4 percent and profits are down 35 percent. As a consequence over the last few years, Lowe's has been on a pathway of strategic renewal that consists of a transformational journey from being a "home improvement retailer to a home improvement company."
Case Study Questions:
- What do you think is Lowe's biggest asset (resource) that it needs to draw on for its transformational journey?
- Develop some ideas for how Lowe's can better deliver on its value proposition and meet its transformational goal.
- From a household customer perspective how can Lowe's make home improvement projects simpler?
- What do you see as the major barriers that confront Lowe's in its business transformation?