You didn't hear it from me, but buy stock in Home Depot and Lowe's now. Throughout most of 2008, they had disappointing performance as the real estate market, and then the entire economy, tanked. In late 2008, however, a few stores in central North Carolina reported huge increases in sales, enough to bring both companies back into solid profitability for the fourth quarter. The outlook in 2009 is good, since sales have been consistently high with no sign of slowing.
Manufacturers and wholesalers of many products, including drywall, paint, and tools, are surprised by the turnaround. Arnie Smith, VP of Sales for Jubilee Joint Compound, Inc., says "We're not sure what's happening down there near Raleigh, NC to cause this, but we're not going to look a gift horse in the mouth! We'll keep shipping our joint compound to the stores as long as it keeps flying off the shelves."
Manufacturers and wholesalers of many products, including drywall, paint, and tools, are surprised by the turnaround. Arnie Smith, VP of Sales for Jubilee Joint Compound, Inc., says "We're not sure what's happening down there near Raleigh, NC to cause this, but we're not going to look a gift horse in the mouth! We'll keep shipping our joint compound to the stores as long as it keeps flying off the shelves."