Walmart stores are vast shopping destinations that sell everything from frozen peas to cans of paint.
Home Depot shares a lot of similarities with Walmart – internationally located, big warehouse-style stores, and a positively endless array of products.
But, does Walmart own Home Depot? You’re not alone in asking. I’ve got the answer you seek!
Key Takeaways
Does Walmart Own Home Depot In 2022?
Walmart does not own Home Depot or any of its subsidiaries as of 2022. Rather, Home Depot is operated by its upper-level management, with major decisions coming from the board, who represent the company’s shareholders. Additionally, Walmart has never had any ownership of Home Depot.
To learn more about who owns and operates Home Depot, how one might be mistaken in thinking Walmart owns Home Depot because, and more, keep reading!
Who Owns Home Depot?
The Home Depot is not owned by one person or family, but rather is headed by one CEO, who is beholden to the company’s board and shareholders.
The Home Depot was founded in the 1970s by a group of four men, one of whom, Bernard Marcus, had recently been fired from a home improvement store.
After only two years of operations, Home Depot went public on the NASDAQ.
Marcus stayed on with the company through the decades, retiring from the board of Home Depot in 2002.
Like many large corporations, Home Depot’s overarching operations are conducted by the CEO and other upper-level management, who take decisions from the company’s board.
The board strives to represent the interests of the shareholders, five of whom hold almost 25 percent of the shares combined.
Finally, Home Depot itself is the parent company of six smaller entities:
- Compact Power Equipment Inc.
- The Company Store
- Interline Brands Inc.
- Blinds.com
- Redbeacon
- HD Supply
How Are Walmart And Home Depot Similar?
You wouldn’t be remiss in thinking that Walmart owns Home Depot or that the two share some connection.
While Walmart does not own Home Depot, and the two are not linked in any way, they do share some striking surface-level similarities.
For example, they both maintain an international presence.
Walmart has stores in dozens of countries, while Home Depot is located in Canada and Mexico, as well as the U.S.
Both operate thousands of locations, though Walmart tops Home Depot in the employee-count category, with around 2.2 million versus Home Depot’s half a million-plus.
Both operate large, big-box, warehouse-style stores; Walmart’s Supercenters average about 180,000 square feet, and Home Depot’s cap out at 105,000.
And finally, both retailers are the largest in their category.
Walmart is, in fact, the largest retailer in the world currently, along with the largest discount retailer.
Home Depot surpassed the older Lowe’s company in 1989 to become the largest home improvement retailer in the U.S.
Do Walmart And Home Depot Compete?
Walmart and Home Depot do not compete directly, as Walmart is not in the home improvement niche, and Home Depot is not in the discount goods niche.
However, they do share some overlapping products.
Both retailers sell rugs, lighting and window treatments, for example.
And Walmart.com carries a variety of spray paints, as well as interior and exterior paints.
Would Home Depot Sell Out To Walmart?
In my opinion, no matter how much money Walmart threw at Home Depot, the latter would never agree to a buy-out.
Home Depot has established itself as the fifth largest retailer in the U.S., trailing behind only Walmart, Amazon, eBay, and Apple.
That’s not home improvement retailer – that’s retailer in general!
Additionally, Home Depot is in a place of economic power right now, and while sales have slowed somewhat since, the home improvement retailer has no need of Walmart or their massive resources.
To find out more about Walmart, you can also check our related posts on whether or not Walmart owns Asda, if Home Depot price matches Walmart, and if Walmart owns Dollar Tree.
Conclusion
Walmart does not own Home Depot, and it never has.
While the two retailers share much in common on the surface, they remain separate entities, each owned by their own group of shareholders.
Walmart and Home Depot don’t see a lot of overlap, either, in shoppers, making it easy for them both to remain at the top of the list in their respective retail markets.