Indeed, Blake repudiated a lot of his predecessor’s methods, and it has been reported that the 2 men haven’t spoken since Nardelli departed Home Depot. The Home Depot started to branch out of Georgia to Florida in 1981 with shops opening in Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale. By 1984, The Home Depot was working 19 stores House & Home Improvement News with sales of over $256 million. To enter the Dallas market The Home Depot acquired Bowater Home Center from Bowater Inc. on October 31, 1984, for $40 million. The increased growth of The Home Depot in the mid-1980s created monetary difficulties with earnings falling by 42% and debt rising to $200 million.
