Lowe's 2004 Annual Report Download - page 11

Lowe’s 2004 Annual Report Page 9
Sharing a vision with our customers means more
than having products that will get the job done.
It’s about knowing home is where life happens,
and while each customer is unique, we all share an
appreciation for our home and take pride in how
it reflects our individuality. It’s about offering a
shopping experience complete with the best
merchandise selection, everyday low prices, available
installation services, and knowledgeable employees
who can help you get the job done right.
As we continue our nationwide expansion, we
know our customers prefer a well-organized
shopping environment, so we continuously invest
in our stores, improving store signage and layouts,
and ensuring they are bright and clean. Our
Commercial Business Customers tell us their time
is money, so we have dedicated sales associates to
help them find what they need quickly. And all
customers tell us they want choices, and that price
and quality are not trade-offs, so we offer respected
brands and quality products at price points to
appeal to every budget. Our customers want a
home improvement partner they can rely on at
every stage of a project, so we launched a new
installed sales model to make home improvement
projects easier from start to finish.
Our customers’ desire for choice continues to
drive our investment in Special Order Sales (SOS),
which experienced significant growth in 2004 and
shows no signs of slowing down. We know our
customers want to enhance their homes with
products reflecting their individual style, so we offer
hundreds of thousands of products through special
order that can be selected and ordered directly
from every Lowe’s store. In 2005, we will continue
to launch enhancements to our SOS capabilities
that increase selection, make the ordering process
easier, drive efficiencies, and speed delivery to
our customers.
Customers of all skill levels and all budgets are
welcome at Lowe’s. We are proud to serve home
improvement novices, confident do-it-yourselfers,
and Commercial Business Customers who shop
Lowe’s for their project needs. For the project
novice, we offer in-store how-to workshops on a
weekly basis. Confident home owners can
effortlessly shop our stores for the same high-quality
supplies used by professionals. And we know our
Commercial Business Customers have unique
needs. To serve them, each Lowe’s store has
professional-grade products, job-lot quantities and a
commercial services desk staffed with knowledgeable
employees. We also offer phone and fax-ahead
ordering to help our Commercial Business
Customers get what they need quickly at prices they
expect from their partner in home improvement.
Seize the Opportunity
In 2004, we continued our
track record of investing in our
existing store base, ensuring
that each store meets our
current merchandising
standards and remains as
shoppable as our newest
location. We completed the
reset of Tool World in the
majority of our stores, with the
remaining stores to follow in
early 2005. The new Tool World
is easier to shop, with better
product displays and improved
adjacencies. Customer feedback
has been overwhelmingly
positive, and sales of tools
in reset stores are exceeding
prior levels.
What do our customers see?
A spare room that will make the perfect nursery.
A back deck filled with friends and family
on warm summer nights. A garage workshop with the
right tools, right where you can find them.
At Lowe’s, we see it too.