Home improvement retailers have been on a short list of companies in the retail sector that have been turning in solid sales at a rather dark and dismal time for the rest of the sector. Home Depot earlier this month said its first quarter earnings grew by 5% to almost $24 billion, while its net earnings jumped about 12%. Meanwhile, for the same period, Lowe’s’ sales increase 10.7%, though the overall financial performance for the quarter failed to meet analyst expectations.
