As most will remember, a few years ago Home Depot went on a buying spree, acquiring a number of wholesalers in the construction industries. After purchasing Hughes Supply, they went on to purchase a couple of electrical distributors before Home […]
In talking to distributors as they plan for 2010 we’ve noticed that distributors are following into two camps The first is a large group of distributors that seem paralyzed by the marketplace. They either don’t have confidence in themselves, their […]
Last Thursday, Rexel held an Investor Day in Lyon, France. During this meeting, Rexel updated analysts, and probably other investors on its 2010-2012 growth strategy.The report can be found, and downloaded, here. And coincidentally, Rexel announced today that it is […]
As many electrical distributors are planning for 2010 to be flat, if not slightly down, there remains an area of hope for distributors who are pursuing green / energy efficiency initiatives. Consider: Wesco, which successfully conducted 7 energy summits for […]
We’re starting to see, and hear, rumblings in the M&A market. Many have wondered when this would start in the distribution industries. With credit tight, it has been a challenge. And banks loath the word “construction” (must be that they […]
Electrical distributors have been hearing about solar, and other renewable energies, for a couple of years. Most have avoided the market and at the same time, many solar manufacturers have shied away from distributors, preferring instead to sell direct or […]
And like they say “c’est la vie” (or, according to a definition on Urban Dictionary, “Oh well, h_t happens). While the company can spin its third quarter worldwide performance, we’re only focused here in the States. Some observations: Q2 was […]
We were at the NAED Eastern Regional Conference in New Orleans last week. While attendance was on the light side, which people attribute to the economy and that the IMARK and A-D meetings immediately preceeded it, conversations with distributors and […]
We wanted to title this “Looking Forward to 2010”, however, we debated on the word “forward” given the forecasts that we’re seeing. Consider: “There is so much uncertainty about the first half of next year that until you have a […]
The past 12 months, needless to say, have been an economic maelstrom for many. Compounding the issue has been which metrics to measure your performance by? Year over year numbers became inconsequential given 2008’s performance through the first three quarters […]
