Over the past few weeks we’ve been hearing of a number of the national chains closing small branches. In some instances these branches were set up to service specific customers, in other instances they are small branches in small towns, […]
Is GE taking a page from Philips? GE Lighting’s recent announcement that it will be combining its Lumination division with its commercial and industrial fixture group, GE Lighting Systems is reminiscient of when Philips acquired Genlyte-Thomas and then began integrating […]
What do Arlington, Leviton, Thomas & Betts, Cerro Wire, Philips, Schneider Electric, Home Depot and Lutron have in common? (and three of them were sponsors of the Home Depot ad!) They all were either advertisers, sponsors of others’ ads or […]
Lately a number of industry resources have been sharing their predictions for 2010. While no one has a crystal ball, we’re hearing an overall industry range of +/- 2%, but no one really represents the industry. From a distributor perspective, […]
No, we’re not being sexist! This was a term that a client used recently to describe today’s sales environment: PanicModeSelling Throughout their marketplace they are seeing distributors quoting projects at minimal margins and manufacturers providing pricing that is below what […]
The past couple of weeks have brought us a new automotive industry. Consider GM & Chrysler are / have been in bankruptcy Chrylser now reports to Italy (Fiat) Saturn is now a distribution company for auto manufacturers, having been purchased […]
•Energy efficiency remains a market that represents opportunity for electrical distributors. The key is understanding how to pursue it and targeting efforts. •Over the past couple of months a number of new energy efficiency incentive programs have been developed by […]
The recent NAED Electrical Leadership Summit (aka NAED Annual or National) was one of the quietest conferences we’ve been to in a while. While attendance was 50-60% below recent annual meetings, and was more like a regional meeting (the number […]
A recent Washington Post article focused on the declining inventory levels throughout the economy. And while this can be good for each company as everyone wants to reduce inventories to ensure that they carry what they are selling, it can […]
Much has occurred over the past couple of months and many manufacturers and distributors have cut to the bone in an effort to preserve profitability. These cuts have focused on people, programs (in the case of manufacturers) and products (in […]
