Home Depot revenue keeps double Lowe’s as seasonal patterns hold

Home Depot’s sales kept running at roughly twice Lowe’s, but the bigger takeaway for store teams is that the company’s business still rose and fell on a predictable seasonal clock. The Home Depot posted $45.3 billion in second-quarter fiscal 2025 sales on Aug. 19, $41.4 billion in third-quarter sales on Nov. 18, and $38.2 billion in fourth-quarter sales on Feb. 24, a pattern that points to the same operational rhythm associates see in staffing, replenishment and project traffic.

That rhythm mattered because Home Depot said in its fiscal 2025 annual report that it is the world’s largest home improvement retailer and that knowledgeable associates and on-shelf availability are critical to the store experience. The company also said its customer base includes professional renovators and remodelers, general contractors, homebuilders, maintenance professionals, handymen, property managers, building service contractors and specialty tradespeople. With roughly half of fiscal 2025 sales coming from professional contractor customers, the strongest weeks on the sales floor are not just about weekend DIY traffic. They also depend on when crews are chasing jobs, when weather opens up exterior work and when indoor refresh projects start to pick up.

The fourth quarter gave a good example of how the calendar can tilt the numbers. Home Depot said fourth-quarter fiscal 2025 was a 13-week quarter, compared with 14 weeks in the prior year, and that the extra week in fiscal 2024 added about $2.5 billion of sales to that quarter and to the year. The company also said the fourth quarter reflected a lack of storm activity, ongoing consumer uncertainty and housing pressure, even as January storm activity helped sales. For store managers, that kind of mix usually means sharper swings in freight, aisle recovery and labor planning, especially in departments tied to weather, repairs and pro orders.

Lowe’s, based in Mooresville, North Carolina, reported more than $86 billion in fiscal 2025 sales and said it operated about 1,750 home improvement stores, 540 branches and 120 distribution centers. That scale keeps the rivalry tight, but Home Depot’s own footprint and category mix still put it at the center of the market. For associates on the floor, the competitive edge remains the same one named in the annual report: keep the right product on the shelf, move customers quickly and stay ready for the seasonal rushes that come with spring projects, summer outdoor work and the next turn in the housing cycle.