The Home Depot, Atlanta, said it has hired a financial advisor to explore strategic alternatives, including a possible sale, of its wholesale distribution business, HD Supply. The company has retained Lehman Brothers as its financial advisor to assist in this process. Other alternatives include a spinoff or initial public offering of the business. Frank Blake, the new chairman and CEO of The Home Depot, said the company wants to increase its focus on its retail business. "We are undertaking this action today because of our desire to increase our focus on our retail business. With annual revenues of approximately $12 billion, HD Supply is a healthy, growing and vibrant business, and we are undertaking this evaluation to determine whether there are strategic alternatives with respect to HD Supply that would optimize shareholder value." Home Depot Supply's 2006 acquisitions of Hughes Supply, Orlando, Fla., and Edson Electric Supply, Phoenix, rocked the electrical wholesaling industry.