Atlanta-based Home Depot buying supplier to professional contractors in a deal valued at about $18.25 billion

Shopping carts are parked outside a Home Depot in Philadelphia on Sept. 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Home Depot will buy SRS Distribution, a materials provider for professionals, in a deal valued at approximately $18.25 billion, including debt.

It is Home Depot’s largest acquisition in its history and with it, it steps more aggressively into the fast growing professional builder and contactor business. Retail sales that boomed during the pandemic have faded and the company has intensified its focus on the professional market for sales.

SRS provides materials for professionals like roofers, landscapers and pool contractors.