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Industry Analysis

Office Depot

Office Depot Hires Former Amazon Business GM – and That’s Just the Start

Ian Heller · March 1, 2021 · Leave a Comment

In a series of moves, including bringing on the executive who launched Amazon Business, ODP is joining the marketplace war. With a flurry of aggressive, recent actions, ODP (the newly named parent company of Office Depot) seems intent on building a rival marketplace to Amazon Business. On Feb. 16, the company announced it had hired…

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If Marketplaces are a Must, Should You Build Your Own?

If Marketplaces are a Must, Should You Build Your Own?

Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein · November 25, 2020 · 2 Comments

Independent alternatives to third-party marketplaces like Amazon are emerging, and some distributors have found success selling through them. This has many wondering if they should build their own marketplaces.

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How Fastenal is Outperforming the Market in 2020

How Fastenal is Outperforming the Market in 2020

Jonathan Bein and Ian Heller · November 23, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Fastenal is outperforming its peer distributors in 2020 despite the recession. They’ve recovered quickly by capitalizing on their end market and excellent company culture, hitting their top line goals.

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Home Depot Buys Back HD Supply; MRO Distributors Get Squeezed

Ian Heller · November 18, 2020 · 1 Comment

Home Depot pays a 25% premium for an enterprise value of $8 billion to reacquire HD Supply, putting branch-based distributors square in the middle of the Devil and the Deep Orange Apron.

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The Difference Between Alibaba and Amazon: How Alibaba’s B2B Platform Works for Distributors

The Difference Between Alibaba and Amazon: How Alibaba’s B2B Platform Works for Distributors

Ian Heller · November 10, 2020 · 1 Comment

John Caplan talks about how Alibaba’s customer-focused business model may be a better digital marketplace for U.S. distributors than Amazon Business.

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The Minefields of Building Companies through Acquisition

The Minefields of Building Companies through Acquisition

Bill Wade · November 4, 2020 · 2 Comments

A study of both successful and disastrous consolidations finds 10 common mistakes that drive employee misunderstanding and mistrust after the deal.

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Burned But Not Destroyed: How Crises Foster Innovation

Burned But Not Destroyed: How Crises Foster Innovation

Bill Wade · October 7, 2020 · 1 Comment

Recently, the Atlantic posted a story about the resilience of human societies in the face of disaster. The author made a strong historical argument that disasters have, in fact, stoked the development of modern cities.

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The 3 Ingredients You Need to Build a Successful Marketplace

The 3 Ingredients You Need to Build a Successful Marketplace

Benj Cohen · September 21, 2020 · 1 Comment

Marketplaces are among the most successful business models of the modern era. From Amazon to Google to Grainger’s Zoro, there’s clearly good money in the marketplace.

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White Cap-Construction Supply Group Deal

HD Supply White Cap-Construction Supply Group Deal is a $4B Look into the Future of Distribution

Ian Heller · August 12, 2020 · 1 Comment

If you’re a distributor, keep an eye on White Cap, which – thanks to the help of CD&R and The Sterling Group – is modeling one of the only viable paths to a successful future.

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