Grainger, national distributor of facilities maintenance products, plans to expand and enhance its operations in the Northeast, particularly the New York City area, by revamping its distribution network. It will open new facilities, relocate others, and expand some of its existing facilities.
Grainger currently operates out of 23 locations in the area.  ; The company plans to increase its number of locations by about 25% and up its local workforce by 10-20%. Grainger will increase the size of its distribution network in the Tri-State area by about 40%.
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Grainger’s investments are part of the company’s market expansion initiative, a multi-year program designed to enhance Grainger’s presence in the top metropolitan markets across the U.S.  ; As part of this effort, changes are either underway or have been completed in 20 markets across the country including Seattle, Los Angeles, Denver, Kansas City, St. Louis, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, Cincinnati/Dayton, Tampa, South Florida, Washington DC, Baltimore and Philadelphia.  ; Grainger plans to invest between $50-$80 million in 2007 to expand and enhance its operations across the country.
In addition to expanding its operations, the company recently expanded its product offering.  ; Earlier this year, Grainger launched its expanded catalog featuring more than 138,000 facilities maintenance products, an increase of more than 23,000 items over last year.
W.W. Grainger, Inc., with 2006 sales of $5.9 billion, is a broad line supplier of facilities maintenance products serving businesses and institutions in Canada, China, Mexico, and the U.S.