Alongside reporting its 2019 fourth quarter and full-year financial results on Thursday, MRO products distributor Grainger also announced a leadership change for its Endless Assortment business.
Effective Feb. 1, Masaya Suzuki becomes that unit's managing director. Grainger — No. 1 on Industrial Distribution's 2019 Big 50 List — said Suzuki played a critical role in founding Grainger's Japan-based industrial supplies e-commerce company MonotoRO, and the creation of Grainger's single-channel online business Zoro in 2011.
Grainger notes that as managing director of Endless Assortment Business, Suzuki will add oversight and accountability for Grainger's entire endless assortment portfolio, which includes Zoro in the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe — to his current role as president and CEO of MonotaRO.
"Masaya's expertise will help us provide even greater value to the customers we serve through our endless assortment portfolio," said DG Macpherson, Grainger chairman and CEO. "The portfolio has strong leadership and a talented team that is driving solid performance. I have great confidence in Masaya's abilities to lead the portfolio and achieve continued growth."
Thursday's announcement comes 15 days after Grainger shared that David Rawlinson, president of Grainger Online Business since late 2015, will depart the company to become CEO of Nielsen Global Connect on Feb. 3.
"An easy and streamlined purchasing experience and access to millions of MRO products are the trademarks of the MonotaRO and Zoro businesses," Grainger said Thursday. "In 2019, the endless assortment portfolio revenue grew by 19 percent to $1.9 billion. In the last five years, the portfolio has profitably grown revenue at a compound annual rate of 25 percent."
The Lake Forest, IL-based company posted Q4 total sales of $2.85 billion, up 3.0 percent year-over-year, while net profit was $103 million. See ID's full recap of Grainger's Q4 2019 and full-year financial results here.
