Home Depot Sees $1 Bln Mexico Sales in 06 DAVOS (Reuters) - Home Depot Inc. expects its sales in Mexico to reach $1 billion next year, the chief executive of the world's largest home improvement retailer said on Saturday. "We are very pleased with the progress -- we went from no presence to 44 stores and it will be a billion-dollar business next year," CEO Robert Nardelli told Reuters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum's annual meeting. Nardelli added that Home Depot would continue to expand in Canada, where it already operates more than 100 stores, and also plans to open stores in China soon. "It's a great market with huge growth potential for affordable housing," he said, but declined to give details on when the first store would open or how many were planned. Home Depot appointed a president for its Asian unit last June, and gained approval as a legal entity in China. It already has offices in Shanghai and Shenzhen, and was in the process of hiring staff, Nardelli said. The retailer earlier this month said it expected sales and earnings to rise this year as it sticks to its plan of improving stores and expanding into related businesses such as installations. Quelle "Home Depot Sees $1 Bln Mexico Sales in 06" : reuters.com Main page for "Home Depot Sees $1 Bln Mexico Sales in 06"