While we know the construction market is down, here’s more confirmation that distributors that are heavily skewed to construction markets are having a hard time. The last two days have reinforced the residential market troubles. New Housing starts down 12.4% […]
Today let’s talk about a topic that is near and dear to many distributors’ and manufacturers’ hearts … marketing groups. Why near and dear? Because, for many distributors, they represent their profit lifeline. For manufacturers they can be the “Good […]
Over the years some distributors have failed to have a serious conversation with the manufacturers they represent about how POS data is used. Then there are some that asked: “If I share POS data, what are you going to do […]
Over the past couple of months we’ve been speaking with a number of electrical distributors and manufacturers about the changing market. Some of these discussions have been in concert with other client projects seeking to better understand their market positioning. During […]
A couple of weeks ago we wrote about how Home Depot was advertising that it was pursuing AC disconnect business by competing on price. Their ad openly mentioned low pricing on Eaton and GE. Following this, we heard from a […]
Last Friday’s unemployment figures along with the number of people who went off unemployment benefits gives all of us an indication that we are in for a long recovery. Even retailers are having a hard time getting people to spend […]
Now that we’ve celebrated Independence Day and at the same time have seen the 2009 PAR report, we can safely conclude that Ben Franklin, one of our founding fathers, who is also known for his kite experiment, must have been […]
A topic that is near and dear to all distributors’ heart is their “unique” pricing to their customers, especially over the past 18 months. For some distributors it is the only way they know how to “market” their company. And […]
Distribution CapacityMany complain there is still too much distribution capacity in some markets, which means that businesses are continuing to use price as the determinate to get business. Some consider it taking market share. But is it really? Or are […]
As many know, lighting represents 25-30% of a distributor’s sales. Lighting is typically defined as lamps, ballast, and fixtures (and some people add in lighting controls). It is an important part of a distributor’s business albeit lighting projects are frequently low […]
