Throwback Thursday is a weekly feature in which we dip into the Hardlines Weekly Report archives.
On Dec. 8, 2003, 20 years ago tomorrow, we reported that Home Depot had agreed to acquire Economy Maintenance Supply (EMS), a business in Sterling, Va., that had been in operation since 1985. EMS’s specialty was plumbing specialty parts but it also featured electrical, HVAC, lighting, sundries, and tools. A lot of EMS’s customers serviced the hospitality industry. The acquisition gave Home Depot a growing presence in the MRO (maintenance, repair, and operations) business, which it has since expanded substantially over the years.
