Home Depot Blames Wet Weather for Soggy Sales

Home Depot Inc. executives said wet weather around the country hurt quarterly sales at the home-improvement chain and, despite sounding upbeat about consumer spending, tempered growth expectations for 2019.

“It was cold, it was snowy and perhaps worst of all, it was wet. Wet weather delays projects and this is evident in our sales performance in the quarter,” said Home Depot Chief Executive Craig Menear on a conference call. Outside weather issues, “our business performed in line with our expectations.”