Female shoppers also became a target group for Lowe's in 1989. Seventy percent of the buying decisions are made by females. We found ways to better cater to them. They trusted the people in the company. Twenty percent of the company is owned by its employees.
Owners are more receptive to change than employees.
Every single thing, every single process had to be changed. Lowe's was financially very strong and had the money to grow the company. Today, it is the largest seller of lumber in the world at 3.5 billion board feet per year. By the year 2000, today's 400 stores will grow to 600 and employment will almost double to 120,000. Our best stores are the ones that compete with Home Depot.