August 25, 2006

second-tier supplier agreements have developed. Service & KnowledgeTraditionally, distributors with expertise in specific production or process problems have always created effective barriers to entry. But as customers have gained more access to product information, how they value the nature and type of application knowledge has changed significantly. It’s become a tougher battle to differentiate from […]

Home Depot Supply reported 325-percent sales growth in the second quarter compared to the same period last year, thanks to its rapidly expanding base of newly acquired wholesale businesses. Sales at HD Supply were $3.38 billion for the quarter or 13 percent of Home Depot’s overall $26 billion in sales for the second quarter of

The economy is showing the lagged effects of higher interest rates, skyrocketing energy prices and slower employment gains. Gross domestic product growth should experience below-trend growth over the next 18 months, and manufacturing activity in the U.S., which has been on a roll lately, will slow appreciably in 2007, according to a new report. The

or her probable advancement had employment been uninterrupted.For example, prior to deployment, an employee completed the training needed to advance from a counter sales position to inside sales when an inside sales position was available. Upon reemployment, the employee would qualify to return to counter sales and would once again be in line for promotion

Canadian distributor sales fell for a second time in three months (-0.6 percent) in June, pulled down by lower sales in the automotive sector. Wholesalers sold $41.5 billion worth of goods and services.Sales contracted in three of the seven sectors in June, accounting for approximately 49 percent of total sales. Decreases were registered in the automotive sector (-2.1

June 2006 sales of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations and trading-day differences but not for price changes, were $331.1 billion, up 1.4 percent from the revised May level and were up 13.5 percent from the June 2005 level. The May preliminary estimate was revised upward $0.9 billion

a 10 percent jump. The company reported a net loss of $1.1 million in the second quarter 2006. For the six months ended June 30, 2006, Strategic Distribution reported revenues of $74 million compared with $62.7 million for the same period last year. The company reported a net loss of $2.2 million for the first