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The Home Depot, the world's largest home improvement retailer, today reported record first quarter net earnings of $907 million ($0.39 per diluted share) for fiscal 2003, compared with net earnings of $856 million ($0.36 per diluted share) in fiscal 2002. Sales for the period increased 5.8 percent to $15.1 billion and comparable store sales declined 1.6 percent. The Home Depot reaffirmed that it expects sales for fiscal 2003 to increase between 9 and 12 percent and earnings per diluted share to increase between 9 and 14 percent. Comparable sales are expected to be flat to slightly positive on the year. The company provides sales, earnings and other financial forward-looking guidance on an annual basis only, consistent with its long-term outlook for the business. During the first quarter, The Home Depot opened 36 new stores. At the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2003, the company operated a total of 1,568 stores, including 1,396 Home Depot stores in the United States, 90 Home Depot stores in Canada, and 15 Home Depot stores in Mexico.