Lowe's Companies, Inc. · Mooresville, NC United States ·(NYSE: LOW)

No longer a low-profile company, Lowe's Companies has evolved from a regional hardware store operator into a nationwide chain of home improvement superstores bent on international expansion. The #2 US home improvement chain (after The Home Depot), Lowe's has about 1,640 superstores in 50 states and about a dozen outlets in Canada. The company's stores sell about 40,000 products for do-it-yourselfers and professionals for home improvement and repair projects, such as gardening products, home fashion items, lumber, millwork, plumbing and electrical supplies, and tools, as well as appliances and furniture. Lowe's is the second-largest US home appliance retailer after Sears. To read the full description, subscribe now.