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Services Growth Slows in March as Costs Surge and Hiring Contracts
For distributors, slower supplier deliveries can translate directly into longer lead times, higher safety stock requirements, and increased working capital.
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Jefferies: March Branch Traffic Gains Point to Early Demand Stabilization for Distributors
The analysts said the results reflect “an encouraging trend of momentum” across industrial and specialty distribution, but they emphasized that a broader inflection in fundamentals has not yet occurred.
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Amazon Business Deploys AI Across Procurement
The centerpiece of Amazon Business’s current AI deployment is the Amazon Business Assistant.
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Distributors Accelerate AI Deployment Across Supply Chain Operations
Among the use cases drawing the most capital and attention, demand forecasting and inventory planning are at the top
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GMS Acquires Frontier Drywall Supply, Expanding Colorado Footprint
The acquisition is the latest in a series of bolt-on deals GMS has completed since becoming part of The Home Depot’s distribution platform.
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Central Garden & Pet and Phillips Pet Food & Supplies to Form Pet Distribution Joint Venture
Central contributes its pet supplies distribution operations and a branded portfolio that includes Nylabone, Kaytee and Aqueon, among other labels.
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Fastenal Sales Climb 12.4% in First Quarter
Total digital footprint combining FMI and e-business sales net of overlap accounted for 61.5% of net sales, compared with 61.0% a year earlier. E-business sales, which include e-procurement and ecommerce transactions, reached $648.8 million, up 6.8%.
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Inflation Surge Puts Wholesale Distributors in a Cost Squeeze
Wholesale distributors are absorbing the sharpest inflation shock in two years, as surging energy prices triggered by the U.S.-Israeli military conflict with Iran drove the Consumer Price Index up 3.3% year-over-year in March.
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Distributors Expand Regional Fulfillment Centers
Across verticals, the expansion activity reflects a consistent strategy: distributors are building larger, strategically located facilities to improve delivery speed and service levels in contractor-driven end markets.
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Amazon Accelerates AI and Raises Competitive Pressure on Distributors
CEO Andy Jassy described a company investing at unprecedented scale to expand its reach across procurement, logistics and customer access — areas that align closely with distributors’ traditional strengths.