Lowe's Announces Agreement To Acquire Maintenance Supply Headquarters

MOORESVILLE, N.C., May 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Lowe's Companies, Inc. LOW today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Maintenance Supply Headquarters, a leading distributor of maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products to the multifamily housing industry, for a total transaction value of $512 million. Based in Houston, Texas, Maintenance Supply Headquarters operates 13 distribution centers serving customers in 29 geographic areas, primarily in the western, southeastern and south central U.S., with a portfolio of more than 5,300 products and value-added services for maintaining and renovating multifamily properties.

The acquisition is expected to be completed in Lowe's second fiscal quarter, following the receipt of regulatory approval and satisfactory completion of customary closing conditions. The transaction is expected to be accretive to Lowe's earnings in fiscal 2017.

Purchasing Maintenance Supply Headquarters is an important step in Lowe's strategy to deepen and broaden its relationship with the Pro customer and better serve their needs. When combined with Lowe's November 2016 acquisition of Central Wholesalers, a prominent MRO distributor in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, this acquisition will substantially expand Lowe's ability to serve the multifamily housing industry.

"Lowe's has long served the multifamily housing industry through our Pro Services business, and we are excited about the potential to further expand our presence in this highly attractive and growing customer segment," said Richard D. Maltsbarger, Lowe's chief development officer and president of international. "Together, Maintenance Supply Headquarters and Central Wholesalers will expand our capabilities in serving this key segment while strengthening our platform for future growth with enhanced product and service offerings for MRO customers."   

Upon the close of the Maintenance Supply Headquarters transaction, Lowe's combined multifamily MRO business will include 16 distribution centers in attractive regions throughout the nation generating more than $400 million in annual sales.

Richard "Rusty" Penick, co-founding partner and CEO of Maintenance Supply Headquarters, added, "We are thrilled to become part of the Lowe's family and have high regard for the team and the company's leadership in the home improvement industry. Our partnership with Lowe's marks an exciting next step in the evolution and growth of Maintenance Supply Headquarters. Like Lowe's, our team shares a commitment to deliver truly exceptional service for our customers, and over the past 10 years, we have been privileged to serve many of the nation's top multifamily property management companies and their communities. We look forward to the new opportunities ahead."

Founded in 2006, Maintenance Supply Headquarters' broad product offering includes appliance, plumbing, HVAC, lighting, hardware, electrical and other products for maintaining and renovating multifamily properties, as well as services such as renovation project support, custom fabrication and educational classes.

Michael A. (Mike) Tummillo, a 13-year Lowe's veteran and recently appointed senior vice president of Lowe's pro sales organization, will oversee Maintenance Supply Headquarters and Central Wholesalers. He will also lead Lowe's Pro Services business and Alacrity Services, a leading supplier of home restoration and repair services. Tummillo is responsible for deepening and broadening Lowe's relationship with Pro customers to better serve their needs.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC is acting as financial advisor to Lowe's, while Hunton & Williams LLP is acting as legal advisor. Crutchfield Capital Corporation is acting as financial advisor to Maintenance Supply Headquarters, while Porter Hedges LLP is acting as legal advisor.

About Lowe's
Lowe's Companies, Inc. LOW is a FORTUNE^® 50 home improvement company serving more than 17 million customers a week in the United States, Canada and Mexico. With fiscal year 2016 sales of $65.0 billion, Lowe's and its related businesses operate or service 2,365 home improvement and hardware stores and employ over 290,000 people. Founded in 1946 and based in Mooresville, N.C., Lowe's supports the communities it serves through programs that focus on K-12 public education and community improvement projects. For more information, visit Lowes.com.

Forward Looking Statement
This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements including words such as "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "plan", "desire", "project", "estimate", "intend", "will", "should", "could", "would", "may", "strategy", "potential", "opportunity" and similar expressions are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve estimates, expectations, projections, goals, forecasts, assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future financial and operating results, Lowe's plans, objectives, business outlook, expectations and intentions, expectations for sales growth, comparable sales, earnings and performance, shareholder value, capital expenditures, cash flows, the housing market, the home improvement industry, demand for services, share repurchases, Lowe's strategic initiatives, including those regarding the acquisition by Lowe's Companies, Inc. of  Maintenance Supply Headquarters  and the expected impact of the transaction on Lowe's strategic and operational plans and financial results, and any statement of an assumption underlying any of the foregoing and other statements that are not historical facts. Although we believe that the expectations, opinions, projections and comments reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties and we can give no assurance that such statements will prove to be correct. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements.

A wide variety of potential risks, uncertainties and other factors could materially affect our ability to achieve the results either expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, changes in general economic conditions, such as the rate of unemployment, interest rate and currency fluctuations, fuel and other energy costs, slower growth in personal income, changes in consumer spending, changes in the rate of housing turnover, the availability of consumer credit and of mortgage financing, inflation or deflation of commodity prices, and other factors that can negatively affect our customers, as well as our ability to: (i) respond to adverse trends in the housing industry, such as a demographic shift from single family to multifamily housing, a reduced rate of growth in household formation, and slower rates of growth in housing renovation and repair activity, as well as uneven recovery in commercial building activity; (ii) secure, develop, and otherwise implement new technologies and processes necessary to realize the benefits of our strategic initiatives focused on omni-channel sales and marketing presence and enhance our efficiency; (iii) attract, train, and retain highly-qualified associates; (iv) manage our business effectively as we adapt our traditional operating model to meet the changing expectations of our customers; (v) maintain, improve, upgrade and protect our critical information systems from data security breaches and other cyber threats; (vi) respond to fluctuations in the prices and availability of services, supplies, and products; (vii) respond to the growth and impact of competition; (viii) address changes in existing or new laws or regulations that affect consumer credit, employment/labor, trade, product safety, transportation/logistics, energy costs, health care, tax or environmental issues; (ix) positively and effectively manage our public image and reputation and respond appropriately to unanticipated failures to maintain a high level of product and service quality that could result in a negative impact on customer confidence and adversely affect sales; and (x) effectively manage our relationships with selected suppliers of brand name products and key vendors and service providers, including third party installers. With respect to the acquisition discussed herein specifically, potential risks include: the possibility that the acquisition will not close or that the closing may be delayed; the risk that required regulatory approvals are not obtained or that such approvals are delayed or subject to conditions that are not anticipated; the effect of the announcement of the acquisition on Lowe's and  Maintenance Supply Headquarters' strategic relationships, operating results and businesses generally; significant transaction costs or unknown liabilities; the failure to successfully integrate personnel and financial, IT and other systems; retaining management and other critical personnel; conditions in the maintenance, repair and operations market; and failure to realize all or some of the expected benefits of the transaction. For more information about these and other risks and uncertainties that we are exposed to, you should read the "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates" included in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and the description of material changes thereto, if any, included in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or subsequent filings with the SEC.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. The foregoing list of important factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive. When relying on forward-looking statements to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. All such forward-looking statements are based upon data available as of the date of this release or other specified date and speak only as of such date. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf about any of the matters covered in this release are qualified by these cautionary statements and in the "Risk Factors" included in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and the description of material changes thereto, if any, included in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or subsequent filings with the SEC. We expressly disclaim any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, change in circumstances, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

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SOURCE Lowe's Companies, Inc.