Colors

Big Orange (Home Depot)

The Home Depot, Inc. is the world's largest home-improvement retailer and one of the largest retailers in the world with over 2,000 stores spread across the United States, Mexico, Canada, and China.

It uses the color orange in not only its logo, but also its buildings and even the aprons that its employees wear, turning the color into the signature color for the company.  The company is occasionally referred to as "Big Orange," which is a reference to calling IBM "Big Blue."

How It's Used

“Finally, a buyer from Lowe's agreed to put SteelWorks products in 30% of its stores; a year later, all Lowes'stores were supplied by SteelWorks.

"Menard's followed. Broderick, now 55, says he landed in the black shortly after bagging the Lowe's account. Still, 5% to 10% of sales are routinely plowed back into advertising allowances, display racks and new store discounts. 'This is often painful,' says Broderick. He wants to see that cut in half. 'But we're still saying growth now, returns later.'

"Breaking the big account—Home Depot—is now priority one. With 1,068 stores, nearly twice as many as Lowe's, Home Depot could kick up sales, on target to reach $25 million this year, by 25%. How likely is that? Big Orange is mum on that subject, but the company's long-standing relationship with its current supplier, Crown Bolt, is so far stronger than SteelWorks' quick turnaround times.”

"'Come on,' I say to the only man I'd trust my yard to year after year. 'Let's go to Home Depot and see what's out there. I'm hoping there's a new product that you spray on, which greens your grounds up immediately, and then turns into a lush grass carpet.'

"The husband sighs dramatically, as if I had just invited him to his own execution.

"At Big Orange, I march past the greenhouse, where colorful flowers try to distract me from my mission. After all, I'm trying to be supportive—not just pick up a few more knick-knacks for the perennial garden. We quickly find the manly section of Home Depot's garden store, where 40-pound bags of fertilizer and grass seed promise everything but eternal life.”

“Yesterday, shares of the world's biggest home-improvements retailer were thrown for a 4.1-per-cent loss, making Home Depot the second-worst performer on the Dow Jones industrial average. That was no small feat on a day when rising oil prices and a skidding U.S. dollar sent the Dow to its steepest slide in more than 21 months.

"Home Depot's offence? Why, it had the gall to report earnings that were precisely what analysts had expected. Specifically, fourth-quarter profit jumped 10 per cent from a year ago to $1.04-billion (U.S.). Shame on Home Depot. I shall never attend another free wallpapering seminar again…

“On the Dow yesterday, only Merck & Co. suffered a bigger setback than Big Orange. Shares of the drug maker fell 4.3 per cent as investors got cold feet after last week's 13-per-cent surge, which was sparked by a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel's recommendation that the company resume sales of its controversial Vioxx painkiller.”

"'Women shop where they're comfortable,' said Gordon Erickson, senior vice president of merchandising and decor at Home Depot. 'Martha is a do-it-yourselfer. She has made her own cabinets, paints her own walls and is a classic homeowner. I've seen her handle a drill as good as any man.'

"For a while at Home Depot, expect to see the Stewart products prominently displayed in eye-catching places. That's to push the brand and make sure people see it, Erickson said. 'Newness is very important to us because new sells first,' he said.

"He said that while women are comfortable in the 'Big Orange boxes,' Home Depot wants them to stay in the store longer.”

Links