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NAW SmartBrief

October 10, 2007

News and Trends

Hagemeyer: Sonepar bid not enough
Hagemeyer NV has said that a proposed $3.5 billion takeover bid from Sonepar SA is too low, given that the acquisition would create the world's biggest electrical distributor. "Hagemeyer is of the opinion that this price significantly undervalues the company," said a statement from the Dutch electrical distribution company. "We intend to meet in order to allow Sonepar to clarify its intentions." Industrial Distribution (10/9)

Rexel gives no official comment on Hagemeyer plans: Despite rumors that Rexel SA may make a bid for Hagemeyer NV, Rexel has remained mum on its plans for the electrical equipment distributor, saying only that it has $211.98 million to $353.30 million allotted for acquisitions and plans to focus in 2008 on small or mid-sized bolt-on acquisitions. The estimated market value of Hagemeyer is $3.13 billion. Forbes/AFX News Limited/Thomson Financial (10/5) Bloomberg (10/5)

Sysco's growth prompts move to new high-tech facility
Sysco Corp.'s new food distribution warehouse in Houston will feature a European box storage and retrieval system, high-efficiency refrigeration, motion-controlled lighting and solar power, reports The Houston Chronicle. The new facility will also house administrative space. "We've just outgrown our existing facility, and we have no room for expansion," said Keith Miller, president and CEO of Sysco Food Services of Houston. Houston Chronicle (10/4)

McKesson plans $575M takeover of Oncology Therapeutics
McKesson Corp. has unveiled plans to acquire fellow drug distributor Oncology Therapeutics Network in a $575 million deal that would further expand McKesson's presence in the cancer drug market. The acquisition comes after McKesson's $1.1 billion takeover of Per-Se Technologies earlier this year. Forbes/Associated Press (10/4)

Other News

Thermo Fisher Scientific acquires 3PL provider
Purchasing.com (10/4)

Best Practices

Today's managers need to encourage creativity
The best way a company can boost its future is to enhance the skills of its already talented work force, motivation expert Bob Nelson writes in a column for American City Business Journals. This is where the softer side of management plays a role by helping employees achieve full potential through support, resources and guidance. American City Business Journals (10/8)

Be open to new ideas, get more than expected
Developing a willingness to see beyond categories, assumptions and your own defenses and beliefs is key to expanding your knowledge. "The more connections you make with people, concepts, experiences, and the environment, the more pathways to learning you create," writes author Marcia L. Conner, the managing director of global advisory firm Ageless Learner and frequent speaker. Fast Company (9/2007)

Sales

Involve entire company in relationship building
An excerpt from a new book from the NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence describes how distributors can become strategic partners in the supply chain. Building relationships should no longer be left solely to sales reps; instead, the entire company should be able to work together to meet the needs of customers and suppliers. Modern Distribution Management (9/25)

To buy: Copies of "5 Fundamentals for the Wholesale Distribution Sales Manager" are available here.

Distribution Trends Blog

Creative ways to own the customer
McKesson's planned acquisition of Oncology Therapeutics Network is a great example of integration from which other trades within the vast wholesale distribution can learn, says Pembroke Consulting President and NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence Fellow Adam J. Fein, Ph.D. The drug wholesaler-distributor's purchase of OTN, primarily a buying group, exhibits how W-Ds can create competitive advantages through forward integration. Distribution Trends (10/8)

Small Business Manager

IBM has new products for small-business toolbelt
New software tools from IBM can help small and midsize businesses manage software and network infrastructures, reports Inc.com. IBM announced Rational Build Forge Express Edition, the new IBM Tivoli Network Manager IP Entry Edition, customer sitelets, Watchfire AppScan and Watchfire WebXM security and compliance management tools and the Rational Team Concert, Beta 1, a portal which allows team members to collaborate. Inc.com (10/5)

The Buzz (CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS)

It's not too late to register for Dave Kahle's Top Gun Survival School for Distributor Salespeople... 7 locations left! These one-day, association sponsored, low-cost yet powerful seminars, will result in immediate improvement in your salespeople. Don't ignore a great training opportunity by thinking your salespeople will improve on their own. Register NOW! Click here or call 800-331-1287.

Interested in learning more about advertising in NAW SmartBrief? Contact Henry Murphey at (202) 737-5500 ext. 245 or hmurphey@smartbrief.com

Executive Life

Column: Flight status alerts sometimes lack real information
The Wall Street Journal compares different flight-tracking services to see which best serve travelers. Flightstats.com was preferred over airline tracking services because it notified travelers (and the people waiting for them) of actual takeoff and landing times, with frequent updates as circumstances changed. The Wall Street Journal (10/9)

HDTV prices still dropping, but questions linger
The average price of a 42-inch high-definition TV dropped 15% -- from $2,223 to $1,893 -- from June 2005 to June 2006, and it's still going down, according to this story. Despite that good news, however, there are still questions that need answers before buying a new model. SeattlePI.com (10/8)

NAW Insider

Save on overnight shipping with DHL ShipReady

NAW and DHL have partnered to offer a unique delivery service from DHL Express. Members can ship anywhere in the continental U.S. for one flat rate with no weight limits, extra fees or fuel surcharges. Receive two free envelopes with your first order by visiting the ShipReady site and entering the promo code NAWSR07.

Get more from your Virtual Terminal through Solveras

NAW teams with Solveras to provide wholesaler-distributors with the latest processing technology. Virtual Terminal allows processing from any computer with Internet access. It provides businesses lower cost card-not-present transactions. Mail, telephone orders can be processed through secure Web-based application that's easy to use. Get a FREE savings analysis to see the program savings. For information, visit http://www.solveras.com/naw.html or call (800) 613-0148.

Boost sales power with More to the Bottom Line

Are some of your customers more trouble that they're worth? What should you do about it? The NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence book More to the Bottom Line: Customer Profitability Analysis Tools for Distributors answers those questions and lays the foundation for a powerful new sales strategy.

Weekly Poll

Is hiring a top priority at your business?
Yes, we are always on the look out for new hires.
No, we are at our employment capacity right now.
We are not actively searching but might consider a new hire.