Sales for the quarter increased 5.8 percent to $11.2 billion, up from $10.6 billion in the third quarter of 2005. For the nine months ended November 3, sales increased 12.6 percent to $36.5 billion. Comparable store sales for the third quarter declined four percent. For the first nine months of 2006, comparable store sales increased 1.7 percent.

“The combined effects of a slowing housing market in parts of the U.S., significant deflation in certain commodity categories, and a difficult comparison to last year’s hurricane recovery and rebuilding efforts have created a challenging sales environment for home improvement,” Robert A. Niblock, Lowe’s chairman, president and CEO said.