HD Supply
A North American distributor of maintenance, repair, operations, infrastructure, and specialty construction products and services.
Last updated August 22, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
HD Supply is a North American industrial distribution business serving professional customers in maintenance, repair and operations (MRO), infrastructure, power, facilities maintenance, and specialty construction. The business traces its origins to Maintenance Warehouse, founded in San Diego in 1974. Home Depot acquired Maintenance Warehouse in 1997 and later used the HD Supply name for its professional-distribution activities. In 2006, Home Depot acquired Hughes Supply for approximately $3.2 billion and integrated much of that operation into HD Supply, substantially expanding the platform's reach and product categories. Home Depot divested HD Supply in 2007 after deciding to raise capital, support share repurchases, and concentrate on its core retail business. Bain Capital, The Carlyle Group, and Clayton, Dubilier & Rice acquired the business, which continued operating under the HD Supply name. The company subsequently developed into a large professional distributor with regional branches, dedicated delivery capabilities, online ordering, sales support, and value-added services for commercial and institutional customers. HD Supply returned to the public markets in June 2013 through an initial public offering on Nasdaq under the symbol HDS. Its business included facilities-maintenance products, construction and industrial supplies, and the Waterworks division, among other specialist activities. Portfolio reshaping followed: the Waterworks division was acquired by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in 2017 and became Core & Main, while the Construction & Industrial business, known as White Cap, separated in 2020 and combined with Construction Supply Group under new private-equity ownership. In November 2020, The Home Depot announced an agreement to reacquire HD Supply, and the transaction was completed in December 2020. HD Supply consequently ceased to be a separately listed public company and returned to Home Depot ownership. Its continuing business is focused principally on professional facilities-maintenance distribution, with operations spanning the United States and Canada. The company serves a broad base of professional customers rather than primarily household retail shoppers, supporting recurring maintenance and repair demand through product breadth, branch infrastructure, delivery, sourcing, and account-oriented service.
History
HD Supply began in 1974 as Maintenance Warehouse in San Diego, California. The original business was built around serving professional maintenance customers with specialized products, dedicated delivery vehicles, and delivery-oriented service. This professional-distribution model distinguished it from general retail and gave the company a foundation in recurring commercial and institutional demand. The Home Depot acquired Maintenance Warehouse in 1997. Under Home Depot ownership, the business was incorporated into the retailer's broader professional-supply strategy and adopted the HD Supply name in 2004. Home Depot expanded the platform again in January 2006 by announcing its acquisition of Hughes Supply in a transaction valued at approximately $3.2 billion. Hughes Supply's businesses were subsequently integrated into the HD Supply division, adding scale and extending its presence across construction, infrastructure, and industrial categories. Following a leadership change at Home Depot, the parent company reassessed its portfolio and chose to divest HD Supply. The stated strategic rationale was to raise capital, support the repurchase of Home Depot shares, and reinforce the parent company's focus on its core retail operations. In 2007, Bain Capital, The Carlyle Group, and Clayton, Dubilier & Rice acquired HD Supply. The business continued under the HD Supply identity as an independent, private-equity-backed distributor. HD Supply later pursued a public-market strategy. On June 27, 2013, HD Supply Holdings, the indirect parent of HD Supply, Inc., completed an initial public offering of common stock and began trading on Nasdaq under the symbol HDS. The public company operated a collection of professional distribution businesses, including facilities maintenance, construction and industrial supplies, and Waterworks. Its network eventually included hundreds of locations across the United States and Canada and served a large population of professional customers. The company subsequently streamlined its portfolio. In 2017, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice acquired the Waterworks division and renamed it Core & Main. In October 2020, HD Supply's Construction & Industrial operation, known as White Cap, separated from the company and combined with Construction Supply Group. The combined White Cap business proceeded as an independent company under ownership associated with Clayton, Dubilier & Rice and The Sterling Group. The final major ownership change came in 2020. On November 16, HD Supply Holdings announced an agreement to be reacquired by The Home Depot. The transaction closed in December 2020, taking HD Supply private and restoring it to Home Depot's corporate portfolio. The continuing HD Supply business remains centered on facilities-maintenance and MRO distribution for professional customers in the United States and Canada. Its role within the Home Depot group is distinct from the consumer-facing retail-store business: it operates as a specialized supply and service platform for property managers, facilities operators, contractors, institutions, and other commercial accounts.
- 2020
White Cap separates from HD Supply
[1]The Construction & Industrial business separates and combines with Construction Supply Group to operate as White Cap.
- 2020
Home Depot reacquires HD Supply
[1]Home Depot announces the reacquisition in November and completes it in December, taking HD Supply private.
- 2017
Waterworks becomes Core & Main
[1]Clayton, Dubilier & Rice acquires the Waterworks division and establishes Core & Main as its new identity.
- 2013
HD Supply Holdings completes its IPO
[1]HD Supply Holdings lists on Nasdaq under the ticker HDS after pricing its initial public offering.
- 2007
HD Supply is divested to private equity
[1]Bain Capital, The Carlyle Group, and Clayton, Dubilier & Rice acquire HD Supply from Home Depot.
- 2006
Home Depot acquires Hughes Supply
[1]Home Depot announces its acquisition of Hughes Supply, whose operations are subsequently integrated into the HD Supply division.
- 2004
Maintenance Warehouse adopts the HD Supply name
[1]The professional-distribution business changes its name to HD Supply.
- 1997
Home Depot acquires Maintenance Warehouse
[1]The Home Depot purchases Maintenance Warehouse, including its dedicated delivery infrastructure and delivery-oriented service model.
- 1974
Maintenance Warehouse is founded
[1]The business that would become HD Supply is established as Maintenance Warehouse in San Diego, California, serving professional maintenance customers.
Products and positioning
A broad-line, service-oriented distributor for professional facilities-maintenance and MRO customers, emphasizing product availability, delivery, technical support, and account-based purchasing.
Facilities maintenance and MRO distribution
HD Supply Facilities Maintenance
The core HD Supply offering supplies professional customers with products used to operate, repair, and maintain residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial properties. The assortment includes electrical, plumbing, HVAC, hardware, tools, janitorial and sanitation products, safety equipment, and related maintenance consumables. Service is supported by branch operations, delivery, digital ordering, sales assistance, and account-oriented fulfillment.
Specialty construction distribution
HD Supply Construction & Industrial
This former business unit supplied construction and industrial customers through specialist distribution operations. It included the White Cap business, which served contractors and construction professionals with jobsite and construction supplies. The unit separated from HD Supply in 2020 and is no longer part of the continuing HD Supply business.
Waterworks and infrastructure distribution
HD Supply Waterworks
The former Waterworks division distributed products for water, wastewater, utility, and infrastructure applications. It was separated from HD Supply in 2017 after acquisition by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice and continued under the Core & Main name.
Canadian industrial distribution
Brafasco
Brafasco is identified in reference material as part of HD Supply's Canadian professional-distribution presence. It is associated with industrial and maintenance supply for professional customers in Canada.
Brand decisions
2020
Reacquisition by The Home DepotM&ABackground
HD Supply had streamlined its portfolio through the separation of White Cap and was again positioned as a focused professional-distribution business.
Action taken
The Home Depot agreed to reacquire HD Supply Holdings in November 2020 and completed the transaction in December.
Aftermath
HD Supply became privately held within The Home Depot group and its HDS Nasdaq listing ended.
2017
Waterworks portfolio separationM&ABackground
HD Supply continued to reshape its business portfolio around selected professional-distribution categories.
Action taken
Clayton, Dubilier & Rice acquired the Waterworks division and renamed it Core & Main.
Aftermath
Waterworks operated as a separate company rather than as part of HD Supply.
2013
Initial public offeringOtherBackground
After operating as a private-equity-owned company, HD Supply Holdings pursued a public listing to provide access to public equity markets.
Action taken
HD Supply Holdings priced an initial public offering and began trading on Nasdaq under the symbol HDS.
Aftermath
HD Supply operated as a separately listed public company until its reacquisition by Home Depot in 2020.
IPO offer price. $18.00 per share (June 27, 2013)
2007
Divestiture from Home DepotM&ABackground
Home Depot sought to raise capital, support share repurchases, and concentrate on its core retail business after reviewing its professional-distribution portfolio.
Action taken
Home Depot sold HD Supply to Bain Capital, The Carlyle Group, and Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.
Aftermath
HD Supply continued as an independent private-equity-backed distributor and later returned to the public markets.
Recent events
- 2020
Home Depot announces agreement to reacquire HD Supply[1]
M&A
The Home Depot announced an agreement to buy HD Supply Holdings and return the professional distributor to Home Depot ownership.
- 2020
HD Supply is reacquired by The Home Depot[1]
M&A
The reacquisition was completed in December 2020, ending HD Supply's period as a separately listed public company.
- 2020
White Cap separates from HD Supply[1]
M&A
HD Supply's Construction & Industrial business, known as White Cap, separated and combined with Construction Supply Group under new private-equity ownership.
- 2017
HD Supply Waterworks becomes Core & Main[1]
M&A
Clayton, Dubilier & Rice acquired HD Supply's Waterworks division and renamed the resulting business Core & Main.
- 2013
HD Supply begins Nasdaq trading[1]
Other
HD Supply Holdings completed its initial public offering and began trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol HDS.
Sources4 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/hd-supply · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled