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Retailers are expressing optimism about the resilience of U.S. consumers, a sentiment that could soon be put to the test as tariff-fueled price hikes increasingly show up on shelves.

Lowe's and rival °®¶¹´«Ã½ Depot have intensified their focus on professional builders.

Sales at stores open at least a year, a key indicator of a retailer’s health, rose 1%. In the U.S., comparable store sales increased 1.4%.

°®¶¹´«Ã½ Depot has agreed to acquire specialty building products distributor GMS for $4.3 billion, its latest effort to grab more spending from professional contractors.

QXO won’t raise its $5 billion offer for building products distributor GMS after °®¶¹´«Ã½ Depot reportedly made its own bid.

°®¶¹´«Ã½ Depot has made an offer for GMS, potentially setting off a bidding war with QXO, which this week made a $5 billion offer for the building products distributor.

°®¶¹´«Ã½ Depot’s revenue climbed in the first quarter as customers spent slightly more as they tackled smaller projects.

Lowe’s has agreed to buy an interior services provider for around $1.3 billion, the retailer’s latest effort to expand its footprint with professional contractors amid a soft housing market.

°®¶¹´«Ã½ Depot broke a two-year slump in same-store sales during the fourth quarter as customer demand improved in a housing market that has been buffeted by soaring mortgage rates.

Value was in vogue in 2024. Shoppers and restaurant patrons in the U.S. were choosy about where and how to spend their money as they wrestled with high housing and food prices.