| May 23, 2008 | News for the wholesale distribution industry |
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- Wolseley to close branches, trim 250 jobs
British building materials distributor Wolseley plc will close 75 of its Ferguson Enterprises locations in the U.S. and close or merge another 15 branches in Canada, resulting in 250 jobs being eliminated. The closures, which are meant to save almost $140 million annually, will require the company to take a $98.2 million charge in the fourth quarter. Industrial Distribution
(5/21)
    
- Home Depot sees 66% drop in Q1 profits
Home improvement retailer Home Depot Inc. has said its first-quarter profits plunged by two-thirds as the collapse of the U.S. housing market continued to take its toll. Profits For the full year could be down as much as 24%, the company said. Results were further hurt by a charge of $543 million related to the company's earlier decision to close 15 existing stores and abandon plans for 50 new locations. Los Angeles Times
(5/21)
- ESSCO Wholesale Electric bought by Sonepar USA
ESSCO Wholesale Electric of Chandler, Ariz., has been purchased by Sonepar USA for an undisclosed amount. The addition of ESSCO's 14 branches in Arizona and California gives Sonepar USA a total of 253 locations. Sonepar USA, based in Philadelphia, Pa., is a subsidiary of French electrical distributor Sonepar SA. Industrial Distribution
(5/19)
| Best Practices | | |
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- Commentary: Manual monitoring of e-mail a big waste of time
A new survey indicates that 75% of U.S. companies are "concerned" or "very concerned" about protecting the confidentiality of personal identity and financial information in outbound e-mail and 70% are concerned or very concerned about ensuring compliance with financial disclosure or corporate governance regulations. Meanwhile, many are tackling issues with the wasteful action of hiring people to read over employee e-mails. InformationWeek
(5/20)
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- Get to know market before jumping into social media
Before making the leap into social media, companies should consider some important factors. They include making sure to identify where buyers get their information; finding out what your competitors are doing; and learning what activities your buyers engage in. MarketingProfs (free registration)
(5/20)
| Small Business Manager | | |
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| Executive Life | | |
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| Weekly Poll | | |
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Do you have plans for a summer trip this year?
After voting once, check out the real-time poll results on NAW's All Access page as often as you'd like.
 | Yes, I plan on taking off a week or so for my annual vacation. |
| Yes, but I am going to take an abbreviated trip, maybe a long weekend. |
| No vacation for me this summer but maybe around the holidays. |
| When's the last time I took a vacation? |
| Editor's Note | | |
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Publication notice
In observance of Memorial Day in the U.S., NAW SmartBrief originally scheduled for publication on Monday, May 26 will be published on Tuesday, May 27.
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Read more at SmartBrief.com |
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A powerful Web site for SmartBrief readers including:
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| | Recent NAW SmartBrief Issues:
- Thursday, May 22, 2008
- Wednesday, May 21, 2008
- Monday, May 19, 2008
- Friday, May 16, 2008
- Thursday, May 15, 2008
| | | Lead Editor: Ashley McMaster
Contributing Editor: Nancy Melville | Robert Jones
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