Mid-May saw the opening of a two-level, 80,000

Mid-May saw the opening of a two-level, 80,000 sq.ft. urban-format Home Depot store in Chicago, among speculation that the Atlanta-based retailer is poised to introduce similar outlets in other cities, including two locations in Manhattan: 23rd Street in Chelsea and a proposed Pier 40 development near Greenwich Village. About 35,000 square feet smaller than the traditional Home Depot, Chicago’s new Lincoln Park store features a high concentration of home decor merchandise targeting renters who seek more portable, less do-it-yourself oriented goods than suburban homeowners. Home Depot has neither confirmed nor denied its rumored expansion in Manhattan, as well as Dallas, Boston and Washington, DC. However, a spokesperson acknowledged that its only existing New York store, a location in Brooklyn that heavily stocks building supplies, is posting sales high enough to offset the increased cost of urban operations.