Interline Brands, Inc., Jacksonville, FL, distributor and direct marketer of maintenance, repair and operations products, reported sales for the first quarter of 2007 increased 31.5% over the comparable 2006 period.
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Sales for the quarter ended March 30, 2007 were $295.4 million. Average organic daily sales growth for the first quarter was 3.2%. Profit was $9.4 million, compared with $8.4 million in the year-ago period.
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Michael Grebe, chairman and CEO, said Interline’s facilities maintenance business posted strong sales growth, despite softness in the pro contractor market, which fell 6.2%. The facilities maintenance businesses grew by 14.1% in the quarter. Grebe expects the pro contractor and specialty distributor end-markets to continue to be difficult going into the second quarter.
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During the quarter, Interline expanded its field sales force, as well as national accounts and supply chain management programs, in an effort to push organic growth initiatives.