Home Depot

The Home Depot (NYSE: HD) is an American retailer of home improvement and building materials. The largest of its kind in the country (followed by Lowe's) and second in retail market [1], with 2114 stores, 355,000 employees and is also present in Mexico, Canada and China, after previously present in Argentina and Chile.
History

Founded in 1978 by Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank after being fired from Handy Dan (Home Depot), grew rapidly and in 1986 had sales approaching one billion dollars in 1997 spread to Chile (the country who retired in 2002 at which time it was obvious each weak companies or purchased by a consortium of more powerful, and the building converted into a Home Store, owned by Falabella, and that with the merger and Falabella Homecenter Sodimac be Sodimac), although that has more growth outside the United States has been in China. Today the average size of Home Depot on the order of 9.755 m².
Marketing strategies

Home Depot ranked 14th in the list of 500 most productive people in the United States by Fortune magazine. Total sales rose 11% from 2005 to 2006.

When this is the main sponsor of the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, California, the stadium hosted two MLS teams (Chivas USA and Los Angeles Galaxy). It also has (as rival Lowe's) sponsorship of several top drivers in NASCAR. In January 2007 he became the official sponsor of the NFL.

Charlotte Motor Speedway

Charlotte Motor Speedway (the official name since 1999: Lowe's Motor Speedway) is a 1.5-mile oval (2400 meters), opened in 1960 near the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. Facilities also include 2.25-mile road course (3620 meters), a Karting 0.6 mile (960 meters) and 0.2-mile dirt oval (320 meters). The Company has a track, Speedway Motorsports, has a base there.

This is one of the most important tracks of NASCAR, like many teams in the NASCAR Cup Series has a base nearby. Every year there racing championship for two dates: a race of 600 miles (960 km) in late May, the same weekend the Indianapolis 500, one 500 miles (800 km) in October. The 600-mile race is one of the four classic, along with the Daytona 500, the 500-mile race in the spring Talladega and Darlington's Southern 500 Miles.

Two other national division NASCAR, Busch Series and NASCAR Truck Series, also in Charlotte. The first dispute since 1982 in two runs of 300 miles each in May and October, as a preliminary to the NASCAR Cup. For its part, the Truck Series to walk 200 miles in mid-May. In addition to the assessment date, the All-Star Challenge NASCAR Cup also takes place every year in May, before the 600-mile race.

IndyCar Series race in Charlotte ran 500 km in July 1997, in July 1998 and May 1999. During the third, Stan Wattles driver crashed his car and a wheel flew over into the stands, killing three spectators and injuring eight others. The race was stopped and declared invalid, the accident pushed the introduction of the cable clamp on the wheels.

Lowes

Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse is a retail chain of home improvement products and building materials from the United States, was founded in 1946 in North Carolina, had 1400 stores (1.424) in 50 states in the United States and has been present in Canada, and since 2009, in Mexico.
Founded as a regular hardware store in 1946, following the rapid growth and to acquire and change the name of the chain Eagle Hardware, Lowe's convirtión in both retail chains and home improvement stores in the U.S. after Home Depot and the seventh general market retailers.
Marketing and advertising strategies.

Lowe's has adopted a strategy similar to Home Depot (market leader) that Target has taken against Wal-Mart, using a more gentle and friendly (attractive to female viewers)

Also since 1999 on a regular basis Lowe's has sponsored several drivers (including a winner) from NASCAR, and bought the naming rights racetrack Lowe's Motor Speedway (formerly Charlotte Motor Speedway) in Concord, North Carolina.

It also sponsors Fernandez Racing team, founded by Mexican driver Adrian Fernandez.