May 10, 2008

The non-profit NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence just released the 2008 Wholesale Distribution Economic Reports, so it's a good time to check up on the general economic situation for wholesale distribution industry, review the performance of building products and industrial distribution in 2007, and check in on the economic outlook.
 
The evidence of a slowdown is inescapable at this point. The residential construction boom will take at least a few years -not a few months -to unwind. Both home sales and residential construction activity are unlikely to rebound until mid-2009 and possibly later. Meanwhile, industrial distributors will face an overall slowing market, although some manufacturing sub-sectors will experience robust growth in 2008. ...

March 2008 sales of wholesalers, after adjustment for seasonal variations and trading-day differences but not for price changes, were $384.3 billion, up 1.6 percent from the revised February level and up 12.6 percent from March 2007. The February preliminary estimate was revised upward 0.2 percent.

March sales of durable goods were up 2.3 percent from last month and up 4.8 percent from a year ago. Compared to last month, motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies were up 4.5 percent and sales of metals and minerals, except petroleum, were up 3.5 percent. Sales of nondurable goods were up 1.0 percent from last month and were up 20.1 percent from last year. Sales of farm product raw materials were up 9.4 percent from last month and sales of beer, wine, and distilled ...