March 1, 2007 - Modern Distribution Management

March 1, 2007

Potential Buyers for HD Supply?

The Financial Times is reporting that three teams of private equity firms are preparing for possible bids for HD Supply. Teams include: Bain Capital, Carlyle Group and Clayton Dubilier & Rice (owner of Rexel); Thomas H Lee Partners, Goldman Sachs and CCMP; and Blackstone, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Leonard Green Partners and Texas Pacific Group.


&nbsp ;


Home Depot CEO Frank Blake told analysts and investors at the annual meeting this week that HD has not yet made a decision to sell. The Financial Times reports that the unit could get up to $11 billion.FT says Bain and Carlyle could be naturals for the ownership of HD Supply because of their investments in retail organizations - that said, HD Supply is a wholesale business, with a different operating structure from ...

Potential Buyers for HD Supply? Read More »

Manufacturing Expands in February

Manufacturing expanded in February following a decline in January, and the overall economy grew for the 64th consecutive month, according to the latest Manufacturing ISM Report on Business.


February proved to be a good month in the manufacturing sector as New Orders, Production and Employment contributed to a solid growth scenario, ISM reports. The Inventories Index showed significant reduction in manufacturers' inventories for the second consecutive month, and the Backlog of Orders Index is growing once again.


While the prices manufacturers pay reached their highest level in five months, concern about prices is still minimal due to the small number of commodities indicated as up in price. The trend in manufacturing, as well as the overall economy, ...

Manufacturing Expands in February Read More »

Grainger Launches Plumbing Specialty Catalog

Grainger, distributor
of facilities maintenance supplies, has released a new specialty catalog for
plumbing products and supplies.&nbsp ; Products offered through&nbsp ; the catalog
include water heaters and coolers, pipes, valves, fittings, fixtures, faucets
and water filtration systems.


&nbsp ;


The catalog is 316
pages, with more than 16,000 Plumbing, Valves and Fittings, or which 12,000 are
new to Grainger's offering. An additional 1,500 products that are related to
Plumbing (from various categories) brings the total to about 17,750 items.&nbsp ;


&nbsp ;


Grainger also
bolstered its offering in material handling, fasteners and security products
this year.


&nbsp ;


W.W. Grainger, Inc.,
with ...

Grainger Launches Plumbing Specialty Catalog Read More »

Register for full access

By providing your email, you agree to receive announcements from us and our partners for our newsletter, events, surveys, and partner resources per MDM Terms & Conditions. You can withdraw consent at any time.

Learn More about Custom Reports

Request a Market Prospector Demo

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Get the MDM Update Newsletter

Wholesale distribution news and trends delivered right to your inbox.

Sign-up for our free newsletter and get:

  • Up-to-date news in a quick-to-read format
  • Free access to webcasts, podcasts and live events
  • Exclusive whitepapers, research and reports
  • And more!