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Grainger history
Grainger company history timeline
William W. Grainger, an engineering graduate from the University of Illinois, started an electric motor wholesaling business on West Cermak Avenue in Chicago in 1927.
He set up an office in Chicago in 1927 and incorporated his business one year later.
David Grainger is the largest individual stockholder of W.W. Grainger, the industrial supply company founded by his father William W. Grainger in Chicago in 1927.
In 1929 he borrowed $6,000 from his wife to found the company that he named for himself, and it has never had a losing year.
Sales in 1932 fell below the previous year's, to $163,000--the first of only four years where sales would not increase.
Grainger established its first branch in Philadelphia in 1933.
Atlanta, Dallas, and San Francisco branches opened in 1934.
By 1936, Grainger had established 15 branches to improve customer service.
By 1937, when annual sales hit $1 million, the company had sales offices around the country.
In 1937 it began merchandising selected products under the Dayton trademark, Grainger's first private label.
In order to stimulate summer business, a line of air circulators and ventilating fans was designed, assembled, and offered for sale by the company in 1938.
The complexity of the industry allowed Grainger to decentralize marketing efforts and strengthen its regional presence by adding an outside sales force in 1939, but the company limited it to one sales representative for every branch for the first ten years.
Branches opened around the country at a brisk pace, with 24 operating by 1942.
A single sales representative could no longer serve an entire branch, and in 1948 Grainger expanded the sales force for the first time.
The postwar transition also required renewed efficiency, and in 1949 Grainger had a branch office built to its own specifications for the first time.
David joined the company in 1952 and became a director of it the next year.
1953: The company creates a regional warehousing system that replenishes branch stock and fills larger orders.
In 1962 sales were $43.5 million.
In 1966 sales nearly doubled to $80.2 million.
In 1966 Grainger acquired those shares of Dayton Electric Manufacturing Company that it did not already own.
Privately held until March 1967, the company finances most growth internally.
In 1967, Grainger was listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).
In 1968, as sales passed $100 million and the company began to sell stock to the public, William Grainger retired and was succeeded as company chief by his son David.
In 1972 Grainger acquired McMillan Manufacturing, another maker of electric motors.
Going from $100 million to $250 million (in 1973) really changed our lives,” said David Grainger, “When you reach that level, corporate officers start‐ losing specific control The top two or three officers no longer can know everything going on everywhere.
Brands exclusive to Grainger--Dayton, Teel, Demco, Dem-Kote, and Speedaire&mdashcounted for about 65 percent of the company's 1975 sales.
Brands exclusive to Grainger--Dayton, Teel, Demco, Dem-Kote, and Speedaire&mdashcounted for about 65 percent of the company's 1975 sales. It discontinued its McMillan Manufacturing operations in 1975.
Starting in 1986, through acquisition and internal development, the company began building specialty distribution businesses that were intended to complement the market position held by Grainger.
1986: Doerr is sold to Emerson Electric for $24.3 million.
In 1989 Grainger purchased Vonnegut Industrial Products.
JANI-SERV Supply was created in 1990 to service the sanitary supply market.
1990: The company enters the safety-products distribution business through the acquisition of Allied Safety, Inc.
The subsidiary was expanded in 1991 with the purchase of Ball Industries, Inc., a distributor of sanitary and janitorial supplies based in California.
In 1991 Grainger published two editions of its general catalog--the successor to MotorBook--offering more than 35,000 items.
Grainger added to the line in 1992 by purchasing Lab Safety Supply.
In addition to this streamlining, Grainger opened zone distribution centers in Dallas and Atlanta in 1994.
The following year it began the same process with Allied Safety, the company's safety products subsidiary, and Bossert, finishing the integration in 1995.
Leadership of the company left the hands of a Grainger for the first time when David Grainger, son of the founder, retired as chief executive officer in 1995.
In 1996 the company opened a branch in Monterrey, Mexico.
In 1998 it announced a materials management outsourcing agreement with Compaq Computer Corporation.
Online resources gave Grainger about $160 million in sales in 1999.
In 2000, Monotaro was established as a joint venture between Grainger and Sumitomo.
Existing customers loved the convenience that ordering through Grainger.com gave them, but OrderZone.com did not attract as many new paying customers as management had hoped it would. As a result, in 2000 Grainger announced a deal with Works.com, an e-commerce business based in Texas, that would expand the corporation's internet visibility by merging OrderZone into Works.com.
In 2001 Grainger also announced that customers of FacilityPro would have access to the entire line of Grainger products through FacilityPro's own online market.
In October 2009, Imperial Supplies was acquired.
In August 2011, Fabory Group was acquired.
In 2011, Zoro Tools, Inc. and the website zoro.com were established.
In April 2012, Anfreixo was acquired.
In August 2013, E&R Industrial Sales Inc was acquired.
In 2015, Cromwell Group Holdings (UK) Ltd was acquired.
For California Residents: Under the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA), you have the right to direct a business not to “sell” your personal information.
The company has grown consistently since becoming public and reported US$11.5 billion in annual sales, as of the end of 2019.
In 2020, Grainger sold Grainger China and Netherlands-based Fabory.
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Grainger competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fastenal | 1967 | $7.5B | 20,565 | 563 |
| GHC Specialty Brands, LLC | 1967 | $75.0M | 1,005 | 233 |
| Northern Tool + Equipment | 1981 | $600.0M | 2,501 | 144 |
| Ecolab | 1923 | $15.7B | 50,000 | 485 |
| CDW | 1984 | $21.0B | 11,098 | 313 |
| The Home Depot | 1978 | $159.5B | 500,001 | 21,993 |
| Mondelēz International | 1923 | $36.4B | 80,000 | 1,348 |
| Avon Product | 1886 | $2.8B | 23,000 | 24 |
| HD Supply | 1974 | $6.1B | 11,000 | 461 |
| Anixter | 1957 | $7.6B | 9,400 | 1 |
Grainger history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Grainger, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Grainger. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Grainger. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Grainger. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Grainger and its employees or that of Zippia.
Grainger may also be known as or be related to Grainger, W.W. Grainger, W.W. Grainger Inc, W.W. Grainger Inc., W.W. Grainger, Inc., WW Grainger and WW Grainger Inc.