NFDA Member Price: $250 • Non-Member Price: $500
Purchase Report Online Here
Generating Adequate Profit In Turbulent TimesThe year 2015 could be characterized with the Dickensian phrase: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Economic growth was steady, albeit unexciting. With lower energy prices, there were few economic storm clouds to worry about. This allowed distributors in almost every line of trade to improve their profitability. It was the best of times.
Towards the end of the year though, manufacturing output turned down which created uncertainty across all of distribution. In addition, the threat of increased competition from web-based competitors made it increasingly difficult to generate higher gross margins. Finally, wage rates started to turn up after a long period of virtually no increases. Cost escalation seemed inevitable. It was the worst of times. (…)
