HD The Home Depot, Inc.

Risks

• Strong competition could adversely affect prices and demand for our products and services and could decrease our market share.
• We may not timely identify or effectively respond to consumer needs, expectations or trends, which could adversely affect our relationship with customers, our reputation, the demand for our products and services, and our market share.
• The implementation of our store, interconnected retail, supply chain and technology initiatives could disrupt our operations in the near term, and these initiatives might not provide the anticipated benefits or might fail.
• Our success depends upon our ability to attract, develop and retain highly qualified associates while also controlling our labor costs.
• A failure of a key information technology system or process could adversely affect our business.
• Disruptions in our customer-facing technology systems could impair our interconnected retail strategy and give rise to negative customer experiences.
• Disruptions in our supply chain and other factors affecting the distribution of our merchandise could adversely impact our business.
• If our efforts to maintain the privacy and security of customer, associate, supplier and Company information are not successful, we could incur substantial costs and reputational damage and could become subject to litigation and enforcement actions.
• We are subject to payment-related risks that could increase our operating costs, expose us to fraud or theft, subject us to potential liability, and potentially disrupt our business.
• Uncertainty regarding the housing market, economic conditions, political climate and other factors beyond our control could adversely affect demand for our products and services, our costs of doing business, and our financial performance.
• Our business is subject to seasonal influences, and uncharacteristic or significant weather conditions, alone or together with natural disasters, could impact our operations.
• If we fail to identify and develop relationships with a sufficient number of qualified suppliers, or if our suppliers experience financial difficulties or other challenges, our ability to timely and efficiently access products that meet our high standards for quality could be adversely affected.
• If we are unable to effectively manage and expand our alliances and relationships with selected suppliers of both brand name and proprietary products, we may be unable to effectively execute our strategy to differentiate ourselves from our competitors.
• Failure to achieve and maintain a high level of product and service quality and safety could damage our image with customers, expose us to litigation, and negatively impact our sales and results of operations.
• Our proprietary products subject us to certain increased risks, including regulatory, product liability, supplier relations, and reputational risks.
• If we are unable to effectively manage our installation services business, we could suffer lost sales and be subject to fines, lawsuits and reputational damage, or the loss of our general contractor licenses.
• Our strategic transactions involve risks, which could have an adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operation, and we may not realize the anticipated benefits of these transactions.
• Our costs of doing business could increase as a result of changes in, expanded enforcement of, or adoption of new federal, state or local laws and regulations.
• If we cannot successfully manage the unique challenges presented by international markets, we may not be successful in our international operations and our sales and profitability may be negatively impacted.
• The inflation or deflation of commodity prices could affect our prices, demand for our products, our sales and our profit margins.
• Changes in accounting standards and subjective assumptions, estimates and judgments by management related to complex accounting matters could significantly affect our financial results or financial condition.
• We are involved in a number of legal, regulatory and governmental enforcement proceedings, and while we cannot predict the outcomes of those proceedings and other contingencies with certainty, some of these outcomes may adversely affect our operations or increase our costs.