News and Trends

Sale of HD Supply finalized
The Home Depot Inc. has completed the sale of its wholesale-distribution division to private equity firms after lowering the price from $10.3 billion to $8.5 billion. The home improvement retailer will keep a 12.5% stake in HD Supply under the terms of the sale. The company said it will use the funds gained from the sale to support its share buyback program. Forbes/Associated Press (8/30)

Minutes from Aug. 7 meeting show Fed considered taking action

According to the minutes of the Aug. 7 meeting, Federal Reserve officials considered taking policy action, but saw inflation as the "predominant" concern. Ten days later, they cut the discount rate. "There was a time prior to the discount-rate cut that people in the markets thought [Fed officials] were asleep at the switch," said economist Stephen Stanley. "These minutes show that wasn't the case."  ClipSyndicate (8/28) The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires (8/29) Financial Times (free content) (8/29) Bloomberg (8/29) MarketWatch (8/28)

Graybar reports sales increase
Electrical and communications products distributor Graybar has said it saw a 5.1% increase in sales to $2.56 billion during the first half of 2007, versus the same period last year. Modern Distribution Management (8/28)

Other News

• Sysco considers N.J. sites for new facility
  NJ.com (8/28)

Best Practices

Sixteen inexpensive ways to keep employees happy
A former rule in business said that the main focus should be on keeping the customer happy, but under the new rule, keeping the employee happy is the top priority. A list of 16 cost-effective ways to prevent workers from jumping ship includes making sure to accurately represent the company's culture from the start and being an environmentally friendly and health-conscious corporate citizen. Manage Smarter (8/29)

Planning, specifics essential for vacation policies
A lax vacation policy can result in half the office disappearing for a week if a company isn't careful. Some solutions include writing a company policy that sets specific guidelines and planning to have staff work overtime in preparation for a week when many will be out. AllBusiness.com (8/24)

Sales

Consider decision maker's wants in sales process
Decision makers, or customers, share similar wants. A seller should strive to understand the "primary want," which is what customers want the seller to understand about them, the "provider want," how customers want the seller to be, and the "benefit want," the customers' desired outcome, in order to have better sales success. DaveKahle.com (8/21)

Small Business Manager

Boost business value with alliances, knockout board
Building a business to be enticing to investors involves much more than financial statements. Seven tips for boosting a company's value include having a stellar business plan and an effective board of directors, extending your product line and building an intellectual-property portfolio. BusinessWeek (8/27)

Executive Life

Social networking for grownups
The organizing principle of social networking is just that -- social. But increasingly, professionals are turning to social networks, both niche and broad-based, to build relationships, follow business trends and ask questions of colleagues. The Wall Street Journal (free content) (8/28)

Islands around the world serve up amazing dishes
Although international cuisine can be found throughout big cities, there's nothing like going to the source for treats such as real oysters, tzatiki and pad Thai. This Islands feature highlights eight islands, including Sicily and Mexico's Isla Mujeres, that deliver mouth-watering food experiences. MSNBC/Islands (8/28)

NAW Insider

Wholesaler-distributors may be held liable for product defects

Although manufacturers, not wholesaler-distributors, are usually held responsible for injury arising from a defective product, wholesaler-distributors may be held liable for product defects under certain circumstances. Read more http://www.naw.org/smartbrief.

Download key economic data on your line of trade

Download immediately individual economic analysis reports that are most relevant to your business from the 19 major wholesale distribution sectors, in the 2007 Wholesale Distribution Economic Reports. These reports supply a wealth of channel benchmarking data, including revenue and employment growth trends, the number and size distribution of companies, gross margins, wages and many other operating statistics. Quantity discounts apply.

Weekly Poll

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Editor's Note

Publication notice
In observance of Labor Day in the U.S., NAW SmartBrief originally scheduled to be published on Monday, Sept. 3, will be published on Tuesday, Sept. 4.

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