5/25/2011 1:48:00 PM
HEADLINES
STAFDA Distributors Survey Most Optimistic in 4 Years
The 2011 Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Association 2011 distributor survey yielded the most optimistic results in four years.
Al Bates, STAFDA’s benchmarking consultant, found 2010 sales for STAFDA distributors rose 1.8%, compared with a 2.1% decline for 2008.
Distributors are anticipating 2011 sales will grow 7.7%.
• Cost pressures are building and “distributors are having to work harder for the same levels of sales,” Bates noted.
• The average STAFDA invoice fell to $224 from $300 for 2007.
“The underlying problem is not the number of lines per invoice,” Bates observed. “Instead, customers are buying less of each item purchased. It’s a reflection of ‘hand-to-mouth’ buying by customers.”
• Participating STAFDA distributors have increased their SKUs by an average 7%. “This would appear to be an effort to build more of a ‘one-stop shopping’ position with customers,” Bates found. “However, the net impact s to lower the sales per SKU, which also has an important cost implication. Web: stafda.org ©2011 GlobalFastenerNews.com
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