According to John Simley, spokesperson for the company, Home Depot will open a store this April in Watertown, stores in Marlborough, Brockton and Hyannis this August; a second store in Quincy next November; a store in Mansfield next January; and, a store in Reading next May. Further west, the company plans on opening another store in the Worcester area in April, a store in Pittsfield in June and a store in Chicopee in August.

"There is a recession going on," Simley tells GlobeSt.com, "but it's not affecting us enough to change our plans in opening stores." While the Boston area is not as highly concentrated as New York, adds Simley, its number of stores is as much as other urban areas such as Philadelphia and Baltimore.