If you sell to the government (directly or through a GSA), work with contractors who sell to the government or are providing materials for any ARRA (American Recovery & Reinvestment Act … stimulus funds) you may have been asked to […]
As distributors seek niche opportunities to capture any amount of business, many are turning to what is perceived as one of the few growth areas … energy efficiency.The energy efficiency market has a number of components and sub-segments. Two areas […]
Lately we’ve been talking to a number of manufacturers about what they are seeing in the market and what their initially planning thoughts are for 2010.While most feel that the market has stabilized (and in some cases seeing a little […]
Years ago the electrical industy viewed Home Depot as a major threat. First it was a case of DIY customers and smaller contractors leaving electrical distributors for a more convenient retail experience and most recently it was Home Depot’s foray […]
We’re hearing from a number of sources that a number of the national chains, specifically Graybar, WESCO and Rexel (and possibly more) are selectively closing branches, primarily in what one manufacturer calls the “sand states” (Southwest / West Coast). This […]
Grainger continues to invest in its website as it prepares to introduce its latest iteration.We recently received an email announcing that the new site will be “up and running” in the next few weeks. The site will feature: Improved searching […]
48 years ago, Pete Seeger wrote a song that is making a comeback in the electrical industry. While he called his song “Where Have All The Flowers Gone?”, in the electrical industry we might call this “Where Have All The […]
Consider these comments from senior managers. Do they sound familiar or are reminiscent of your market? “efforts to use limited discounts to lure customers to full-priced items don’t work” “aggressively marketed price reductions help keep sales momentum” “shoppers have been […]
A little unabashed advertising (after all, we need to pay for the blog!!)With only 5 months remaining in the year (and about 30 days till the end of the summer), many manufacturers are beginning to think about their 2010 planning.2009 […]
