Energy costs keep rising. Natural gas is approaching $5 and Goldman Sachs is projecting oil at $90 / barrel by the end of the year. And now we’re hearing about curbs on energy consumption in China (which could further exasperate […]
With the economy strong it’s important to look forward to identify how to maintain your momentum. This requires looking at “niche” markets but, remember, your niche can be someone else’s mainstay. Think OEM (original equipment manufacturer). One such area is […]
The past few weeks have been Q2 earnings reports from publicly held distributors. And records should be expected for Q2 since it is being compared to Q2 2020 … the height of COVID from a business disruption viewpoint. (the comparables […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The year has started at a torrid pace but there have been some highlights relating to acquisitions, sales models, strategic relationships, POS, ETIM and more. With COVID driving everyone to online planning it seems like there everyone is on a […]
WESCO reported 2020 Q4 earnings and, while from a Wall Street perspective the growth number was great (48%), from an industry perspective it’s misleading as it is comparing combined Anixter / WESCO vs WESCO from 2019. Q4, however, was comparable, […]
ETIM North America continues to gain momentum with the addition of TELE Controls as its most recent member. TELE Controls is a relatively newcomer to the North American electrical distribution market. An Austrian company, TELE Controls recognizes that benefits that […]
Acuity appears to be slowly coming back. While their recent quarterly report (their Q1 but the industry’s Q4) showed a decline, from a channel perspective, it was only somewhat more than what respondents shared in our Q4 Pulse of Lighting […]
