ID's Top 5 Of The Week

In a period when mergers & acquisitions for industrial distributors have been quiet, best-practices articles and informative pieces led the way on ID for a second-straight week.

In a period when mergers & acquisitions for industrial distributors have been quiet, best-practices articles and informative pieces led the way on ID for a second-straight week. M&A news is sure to be light through Jan. 1. Will industrial distribution market news start off 2016 with a bang?

Here's this week's Top 5

Grainger Posts Continued Sales Slide In November: Grainger reported its November sales information on Dec. 11, showing a continuing trend of decreased sales compared to 2014. The company said its total sales were down 2 percent in November compared to last year, with organic sales down 3 percent. Grainger's newly-acquired Cromwell Group boosted total sales by 4 percentage points, while foreign exchange negatively impacted sales by 3 points. The organic decline included 1 percentage point decline in price and a 2-point decline from lower sales of seasonal and safety products.

Remembering J&L Industrial Supply Founder Joel Shapiro (1939-2015): Read this memorial written by Colmar president Aaron Shapiro, the son of the late Joel Shapiro, who founded J&L Industrial Supply and passed away on Nov. 1 at the age of 76. Joel Shapiro grew J&L to a $50 million+ organization by by 1990, when it was sold to Kennametal and later to MSC Industrial Supply.

The State Of The Personal Protective Equipment Market: Check out my latest blog, which recaps the STAFDA 2015 Convention presentation from Personal Industrial Products VP of Sales Robin Roberts, who gave a "state of the industry" report on PPE products and the sales market for its different categories.

How Industrial Distributors Can Avoid Losing Money At E-Commerce: NetSuite's Ranga Bodla examines the frustrations industrial distributors have met with e-commerce, arguing that instead of relying on e-commerce as a business strategy, distributors should view it as a set of tools to help leverage their core business.

Social Media As A Profit Center: By now we've all heard that business need to have some sort of social media presence to stay relevant in today's ultra-connected world. Here, MK Morse Company's Jeff Guritza discusses the how of business social media instead of the if, showing how the platform can help drive sales.

Last week's Top 5

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