According to Reuters, QXO, a firm started by Brad Jacobs to build a distribution company in the building materials industry, offered to acquire one of the electrical distribution industry’s top distributors, Rexel, for $9.4 billion (USD). The Rexel Board of […]
There’s much talk, and some movement, on AI for distributors. Progressive, albeit larger, distributors are discussing and seeking opportunities to embrace, or test, AI in different aspects of their business. Some have stepped their toe in. Larger companies are dedicating […]
Last week I visited a client who asked me about “the channel”. Specifically, they wanted to know: “What drives distributor product selection, what is the food chain, what’s the value of each.” “Are distributors proactive in creating opportunities and selling […]
With summer, and Q3, coming to a close, what better time for electrical industry acquisition activity to ramp up. And while each company has its own rationale for why it did the deal, each represents an idea that could be […]
There are two seminal events that have impacted the electrical industry over the past five years … COVID and Consolidation. Both have significantly changed the industry. Covid accelerated revenues and introduced “work from home” which has created sales outreach challenges […]
A new month, a new acquisition. This one in the lighting industry with the private equity firm that owns Progress Lighting, Kingswood Capital Management, acquiring Kichler. According to a communique that Kichler sent to its customers dated September 3rd, ”September […]
Within the electrical industry, distributors like to learn from each other. Modern Distribution Management (MDM) launched a series of distributor case studies last fall with a case study on Fastenal. Recently they ran a three-part series on Wesco, culminating in […]
According to Channel Marketing Group‘s Q1 and Q2 Pulse of Lighting reports, the lighting market is challenged. Overall growth is negligible and, according to quarterly reports, it is down for the largest of companies. This is for a product category […]
Not only is business challenging for many, except those winning in the data center space, the repetition in pursuing project business can be exhausting. The lighting business is slow / down as shared in our Q2 Pulse of Lighting report […]
Twenty-five years ago, I was the Chairman for the Thomas & Betts Rep Advisory Board. This was back in the days when, rep input was solicited, and perhaps valued more. We were charged with assisting in the development of a […]
