Anixter International Inc., Glenview, IL, distributor of communication products, electrical and electronic wire & cable and a distributor of fasteners and other small parts, reported sales of $1.33 billion in the first quarter 2007, up 24% from the same period last year. Profit was up 71% to $53.6 million.
  ;
Sales for the quarter include $33.6 million from the acquisitions of IMS Inc. in May 2006 and MFU Holdings S.p.A. in October 2006.
  ;
Sales in the first quarter grew at a year-over-year organic rate of 19%.
  ;
Anixter reported seeing strong larger project business, especially in data center builds in the enterprise cabling market and energy/natural resources customers within the electrical wire and cable market. Anixter also continued to experience strong growth in the security and OEM markets.
  ;
Higher copper prices continued to contribute to organic growth in the most recent quarter, with market-based copper prices averaging $2.71 per pound during the quarter compared to $2.25 per pound in the year-ago first quarter and $3.20 per pound in the fourth quarter of 2006. Anixter estimated that the higher copper prices accounted for $35 million of year-on-year quarterly increase in sales within the electrical wire and cable market.
  ;
Anixter sales in North America grew 19% to $927 million in the first quarter. In Europe, sales grew by 39%; organic sales there grew 16%. In the emerging markets of Latin America and Asia Pacific, Anixter sales grew 34%.
  ;
Anixter has locations in 247 cities in 49 countries
.
