ATLANTA - Home Depot is opening a new store in the Atlanta area this week, but the public won’t be allowed to shop there.
The Atlanta-based home-improvement chain has built a 45,000-squarefoot store dedicated solely to Pinewood Studios, the British filmmaker behind the James Bond and Harry Potter movie series, and its associates.
Pinewood is building a movie studio, its first in the United States, on more than 220 acres in Fayette County. The dedicated Home Depot store at the site will open Thursday.
Operating a store for one customer is new for Home Depot and could lead to duplicate strategies with other studios or in other industries if it works, said J.T. Rieves, vice president of pro business for the retailer. About 30 percent of a movie’s budget is materials, he said.
The building - which will resemble a warehouse, without the usual store markings - is much smaller than an average Home Depot. The chain’s stores run from 60,000 to 150,000 square feet with an additional 15,000-to-25,000-square-foot garden center.
One challenge is making sure the store has the materials the studio might need around the clock, Rieves said. Traditional supplies such as nails, wood or paint won’t be a problem, but it will be harder if the studio uses moredifficult-to-get materials in a scene that later needs to be re-shot.
Front Section, Pages 3 on 03/30/2014