Home Depot buys Hughes

摘要

Atlanta — The mid-January announcement that The Home Depot would buy Orlando, Fla.-based plumbing wholesaler Hughes Supply did not surprise Hughes' biggest competitor, said John A. Stege-man, president and CEO of wholesale giant Ferguson Enterprises in Newport News, Va. Home Depot had solidified its market share in the retail side of the business and the only way to generate growth for its shareholders was on the professional side of the industry, Stegeman said.