Home Depot set to open 60,000-square-foot store in New Minas

The Home Depot Canada will open the doors to its first store in New Minas this Thursday, Nov. 20. The new outlet is the company’s sixth 60,000-square-foot store format in Canada.

The store will create more than 90 full and part-time positions for area residents.

Located at 21 Silver Fox Avenue, the new store will feature approximately 30,000 in-stock products with thousands more available by special order; a drive-through lumber yard; kitchen, bath, flooring and décor showrooms; paint and design centres; inspirational vignettes; an expansive outdoor garden area; installation services; and a contractor service desk. “We are very excited to be opening our newest 60,000-square-foot store in this vibrant community and are proud to make a positive contribution to the area,” Home Depot Canada & Asia president Annette Verschuren said last week. “Our New Minas store brings together everything our customers have come to expect from us -- value, selection, know-how and service -- in a format that fits with the community.”

Knowledge and skills workshops

The New Minas Home Depot will offer free in-store workshops on a wide range of topics to empower customers with the knowledge and skills needed to successfully complete their home renovation projects.

Children, along with a parent or caregiver, also will learn new skills while enjoying the thrill of building something for the first time at The Home Depot’s monthly Kids Workshop.

Through The Home Depot’s Design Centre, home improvement enthusiasts will be able to get expert advice from professional designers during free in-store consultations on any home improvement project from paint and décor to complete renovations.

Customers also will have access to installations from certified contractors on home renovation projects ranging from flooring, windows, decks and landscaping to full kitchen, bathroom and basement remodels through The Home Depot’s Installation Services.

For those occasional do-it-yourselfers who don’t require a personal supply of tools, The Home Depot will offer a convenient tool rental centre with a wide range of tools and equipment available at great prices.

Commitment to communities

The Home Depot Canada brings more to the communities it serves than customer service and home improvement products. It brings an extensive community program that combines volunteerism, do-it-yourself expertise, product donations and monetary grants to help meet the critical needs of the communities where employees live and work. Throughout 2008, The Home Depot employees are set to volunteer over 60,000 hours on community projects across Canada as part of Team Depot, the company’s employee volunteer program.

As part of its commitment to communities, The Home Depot has proud and long-standing relationships with many great organizations across Canada. -Since 1996, The Home Depot has been the largest supporter of Habitat for Humanity in Canada, donating over $3 million in cash and product and thousands of volunteer hours each year to affordable housing projects. -Since 1997, the company has invested more than $3 million and 40,000 volunteer hours in support of building new play spaces across Canada with KaBOOM! By the end of 2008, the company will have built more than 66 playgrounds and ice rinks in communities across the country. -Since 2005, The Home Depot Canada has worked with Evergreen to provide 146 communities across Canada with the funding, tools, materials and volunteers needed to complete urban stewardship projects through the Rebuilding Nature Grants program.

Committed to the environment

Environmental sustainability and helping customers make better choices for their home and the environment is a priority at The Home Depot Canada. Through The Home Depot’s Eco Options program, customers have easy access to over 1,500 products that have less of an impact on the environment.

These products undergo a rigorous third-party verification process to fall under five categories: energy efficiency, clean water, clean air, healthy home and sustainable forestry.

The company also provides customers with opportunities to participate in programs that affect their environment. From free in-store compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb recycling to Mow Down Pollution, a seasonal retirement program for old, polluting lawn mowers, The Home Depot makes it easy for its customers to make the switch to environmentally friendly products.

Founded in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1978, The Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement retailer, currently operating 2,269 stores, including 173 The Home Depot stores across Canada.

In fiscal 2007, The Home Depot had sales of $77.3 billion and earnings from continuing operations of $4.2 billion. The company employs more than 300,000 people, including more than 30,000 Canadians. -- Submitted