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Acquisitions Start Second Half with a Bang

David Gordon Posted On July 5, 2021

The first half of the year came to an end with a “bang”. While the channel was challenged throughout the first half with: COVID concerns evolving to an economic recovery Companies redefining their work environment … again … with the […]

Customer Segments / Distributors / Industrial Market / Industry Outlook

Early Q2 Market Insights from Rexel and Grainger

David Gordon Posted On June 30, 2021

Some early Q2 insights from Rexel and Grainger provide some insights into the current electrical and MRO distribution market and, as such, provide a “base case” for distributor performance given that Grainger is considered a “bellweather” for the MRO market […]

Channel Strategies / Contractors / Distributors / eCommerce / Growth Strategies / Lighting / Sales Channel / Supplier / Products

Shine Retrofits Joins Retrolux Network

David Gordon Posted On June 27, 2021

According to a recent press release, “Retrolux, the fastest-growing lighting, and energy project development and implementation software platform, and Shine Retrofits, a national energy-efficient lighting products distributor, announced that it will be adding their full product catalog from leading manufacturers […]

Distributors / Growth Strategies / More Insights / Sales Channel

What’s Your Sales Model of The Future?

David Gordon Posted On June 14, 2021

As we transition from the pandemic many wonder about “the future of sales”, meaning, “what will the sales process (sales model) look like in the future” and, essentially, “what is the role of / for outside salespeople?” In reality, this […]

Distributors / Marketing / More Insights

What is Marketing and Why is Math Important to Marketers?

Ken Cain Posted On June 2, 2021

My objective is to develop an ongoing series of marketing articles consisting of two parts, the first focusing on questions I have been asked and the second on concerns I have. I have lots of both, so it is impossible […]

Branding / Distributors / Industry Consolidation / Marketing / People in the News / Profitability

Van Meter Integrating Werner Acquisition Quickly

David Gordon Posted On June 2, 2021

Van Meter, which acquired Werner Electric (MN), earlier in the year is moving quickly to assimilate the company and to operate as one company. There have been a number of management and marketing (and perhaps other departments) personnel changes at […]

Customer Segments / Distributors / Industrial Market / Industry Outlook / More Insights / Profitability

MRO Insights from Grainger and Fastenal

David Gordon Posted On May 11, 2021

Grainger and Fastenal shared their Q1 earnings reports recently. Given that both focus on the MRO market and, from an industrial MRO viewpoint, are considered relatively comparable competitors, they can serve as a proxy for the MRO market, although electrical […]

Contractors / Distributors / Industry Outlook / More Insights / Profitability

Graybar, WESCO, Rexel Q1 Earnings

David Gordon Posted On May 9, 2021

National Electrical Distributor Performance

The last week or so has been earnings week for many electrical companies where they shared their Q1 performance. As expected, all showed improvement versus last year (after all, the last two weeks were the beginning of the COVID shutdown). […]

Channel Strategies / Distributors / Growth Strategies / Industry Consolidation / Industry Outlook / Manufacturers / Marketing Groups / More Insights / Reps

Acquisitions Heat Up. Size Matters.

David Gordon Posted On April 7, 2021

The first quarter saw a number of industry acquisitions and, while individually they highlight company growth initiatives, collectively they signal a trend that could be transformative for the industry … an industry divide driven by size. Yes, the big are […]

Distributors / Pricing / Productivity / Profitability / Purchasing

The 4 Profit Levers Distributors Need to Master

David Gordon Posted On March 31, 2021

Electrical distributors are at a unique moment in time where they have an opportunity to leverage technology to utilize the data it can unleash to accelerate profitability and sales cost-effectively. Being in an information age is only beneficial if the […]