B to B News
Tips for Creating a B2B Social Media Plan
Does social media really work in business-to-business marketing? It's a valid question, especially with the mass media mindset prevailing over much of social media. What B2B marketers and the firms that represent them should really be concerned with is the quality of the social media connections they make rather than the quantity. ...
Newport Corp. Buys Two Offshore Companies
Newport Corp., which manufactures and markets lab instruments and laser technology products, has acquired two overseas businsesses. ...
Conney Safety Products Gets Bigger With Mettam Safety Supply Deal
Nearly four years after Takkt America sold it to private equity firm Caxton-Iseman Capital for $48 million, Conney Safety Products has made its own acquisition....
Water Street Healthcare Partners Acquires MarketLab
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Water Street vice president Kelly Zitlow says her company is committing up to $70 million of equity financing to both acquire and grow MarketLab....
Airgas Acquires Pain Enterprises
Airgas, a direct merchant of industrial gases and safety gear, announced May 9 it has purchased Pain Enterprises, which produces and distributes dry ice and carbon dioxide in the Midwest...
MarketLab Acquires Newmatic Medical
Seeking to expand its range of services, healthcare products and services cataloger MarketLab has acquired substantially all of the assets of Newmatic Medical. Terms of the deal were not disclosed....
MSC Industrial Direct Buys Rutland Tool & Supply
Maintenance repair and operations supplier MSC Industrial Direct has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the assets of Rutland Tool & Supply Co., for $11 million in cash. The deal is expected to close during the fourth quarter of calendar 2010....
Green Mountain Thinks Small with New B-to-B Branch
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters hopes to make a splash selling to small businesses with its new Business Coffee Express Website and catalog....
Two More Acquisitions for Sport Supply Group
Sport Supply Group has picked up two more. The sports equipment merchant acquired substantially all of the assets of Coaches Sports Corner, a regional team sports distributor based in Sandusky, OH, and certain assets of Greg Larson Sports, a national cataloger and regional team sports distributor based in Brainerd, MN....
Central Restaurant Starts School Nutrition Equipment Title
The title, which will be unveiled March 29, sells products to help improve workflow, promote food safety techniques and encourage healthy food preparation methods in public and private K-12 school districts, colleges and universities. The more than 3,000 products available include steamers, combination ovens and food trays....
Cleaning up b-to-b files
Business-to-business merchants traditionally have not been the most savvy when it comes to list hygiene. Why's that? The theory had always been that if...
Worthington Direct Expands Catalog
The company’s 2010 catalog, which dropped Jan. 4, jumped from 148 pages to 196. The increase in pages is largely to account for more early childhood products, such as preschool storage cubbies, dramatic play furniture, activity tables and classroom stack chairs. ...
Figi's Business Unit to Target Retailers
Figi's Business Services, a subsidiary of food gifts cataloger Figi's, is partnering with the Greenwood Group to sell goods to the retail market. ...
Schein Merges Animal Health Unit With Butler
Medical, dental, and veterinary supplies merchant Henry Schein on Dec. 31 closed a deal that combines its U.S. Animal Health businesses and Butler Animal Health Supply into a new company called Butler Schein Animal Health. ...
Airgas Acquires Fitch Industrial & Welding Supply
Airgas announced Dec. 1 it acquired the assets and operations of Lawton, OK-based Fitch Industrial & Welding Supply, an industrial gas and welding supply distributor....
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Acquires Timothy’s Coffees of the World
Green Mountain paid $157 million in cash for the coffee brand and wholesale operations of, which had been an affiliate of private equity firm Sun Capital Partners....
Kim Supply Sold to Private Equity Player
Private equity firm Amnis has acquired Kim Supply, a catalog distributor of carwash equipment and supplies and a manufacturer of self-serve carwash equipment....
Lands’ End Expands Business Offering
Lands’ End Business Outfitters is going beyond branded apparel. ...
Sport Supply Group Acquires Har-Bell Assets
Sport Supply Group has snapped up another one. Exactly a month after buying certain assets from Gus Doerner Sports, the sports equipment merchant marketer said Thursday it bought some team sports assets from Har-Bell Athletic Goods....
Sales Slip Slightly for Transcat
Revenue for test, measurement and calibration instruments distributor Transcat decreased 3.6%, from from $17.9 million to $17.2 million for the first quarter of its fiscal 2010, which ended June 27....
Grainger Earnings Fall 18% in Quarter
W.W. Grainger posted net earnings of to $92 million for the second quarter, an 18% decrease from $113 million in the prior year....
Patterson Medical Buys Empi Therapy Solutions
DJO, a global provider of medical device solutions for musculoskeletal health, vascular health and pain management, sold the rehabilitation equipment and supply catalog business of its Empi division. ...
Sales Down, Profits Up for Sport Supply Group
Sports equipment merchant Sport Supply Group saw its third-quarter revenue slip 3.1%, to $63.7 million, down from $65.8 million in the same period last year....
WearGuard-Crest Brands to Get Out of Direct
Aramark Corp. will stop selling its WearGuard-Crest work clothing and accessories brand in its catalog and direct mail pieces. The exit from catalog and direct sales is expected to take place over the course of many months....
