News and Trends

• Thermo Fisher Q4 profit soars, beats expectations
  Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.'s fourth-quarter profit exceeded analyst expectations, reaching nearly $240 million versus $25.3 million in the year-ago period, which had included acquisition costs associated with the merger between Thermo Electron and Fisher Scientific. Fourth-quarter revenue jumped from $1.67 billion in the earlier period to $2.62 billion, primarily owing to the merger, this article says. The company has offered an outlook for 2008 that outstrips Wall Street estimates. Reuters (2/6)

• Canadian Tire CFO keeps an eye on competition, trends
  As Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd. has grown and diversified, CFO Huw Thomas says his concerns have grown, too. Once solely a tire retailer, the company now operates a bank, a clothing chain, auto-parts outlets, gas stations and convenience stores. With this growing complexity comes greater exposure to risk, and Thomas said he is developing management strategies to ensure the company can nimbly respond to shifts in the economic and regulatory landscapes. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (2/6)

• Wholesalers cut millions of magazines from distribution
  In an attempt to boost sell-through rates and profitability, some magazine wholesalers have announced deep cuts in the number of copies they will distribute in the coming months. Source Interlink Cos., for example, reportedly plans to remove from distribution 40 million copies across all categories over the next few months with the aim of upping the wholesaler's efficiency rate from 38% to 50% percent by the summertime. MediaBuyerPlanner (2/5)

• Other News

• Spartan Stores posts Q3 net earnings of $10.6M vs. $5.9M in year-ago period
  Reuters (2/6)

• WinWholesale opens second Florida Winnelson store in as many months
  Industrial Distribution (2/6)

• Henry Schein donates $400,000 worth of dental products to help needy kids
  Newsday (Long Island, N.Y.) (2/6)

On-Demand Webcast: Improving Profitability Through Cost-To-Serve Analysis. Join AMR analyst, Lora Cecere, and industry expert, Jack Haedicke, as they discuss results and industry best practices uncovered by a recent AMR study on cost-to-serve. [ View Webcast ]

Best Practices

• The art of hiring the right people
  Tips for finding the right people to fill open slots in a company include making sure to have a complete description of the position you wish to fill; extending the search to include people in other divisions of the company who might be looking for a change; and scheduling interviews to allow for enough time for a thorough evaluation of each candidate. CRM Daily (1/29)

• Workers have options in dealing with an abusive boss
  An employee having to deal with an abusive boss is advised either to quit or create and reinforce appropriate boundaries by letting the boss know what sorts of approaches or language are unacceptable. American City Business Journals (2/4)

Sales

• Create a niche to increase sales
  Retaining customers and targeting local markets are key to build a shop's clientele. "A small independent store has to have a niche, has to be known for something, because you simply can't compete with the bigger stores in things like pricing and advertising," according to one expert. CNNMoney.com/Fortune Small Business (2/6)

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by NAW SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Grainger adds significantly to product lineup (Industrial Distribution)

• 2007 a record sales year for WESCO (Industrial Distribution)

• HD Supply not selling its HVAC operations to Watsco (Industrial Distribution)

• Survey: Four in 10 plan to leave jobs in '08 to find better bosses (Manage Smarter)

• Getting the most out of a new HDTV (Forbes)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

Small Business Manager

• Small businesses can get a boost from handy technologies
  This article examines the technologies that represent worthwhile investments for small businesses, such as desktop sharing software and free conference calling. BusinessWeek (2/5)

Executive Life

• As economy slows, Americans give up nonessential expenses
  Americans are starting to do without nonessentials such as travel and fashion as the economy continues to slow. "Over the last four months, we have seen a steady increase in the number of consumers who are not only moderating their spending, but intending to spend less to compensate for household expense pressures," said Margo Georgiadis, an executive with Discover Financial Services. The Sun Herald (Biloxi-Gulfport, Miss.)/McClatchy News Service (2/7)

• Pairing wine with the perfect food
  Wine and food are a natural pair, but some consumers and cooks have a hard time finding the perfect food to match their drink. To help, Wall Street Journal contributors opine on culinary delights such as rosemary, lemon, garlic-marinated veal chops and five-peppercorn beef tenderloin, and discuss which wines go best with their favorite dishes. The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) (2/7)

NAW Insider

• Brand-new book: Profit Myths in Wholesale Distribution
  This NAW Institute book has one overall goal -- to change the way distribution managers think about their businesses. Author Albert Bates says that both decision quality and decision consistency are influenced by some very bad information. He promises an eye-opening experience if you accept that much, if not most, of what you have been told about distribution finance issues is wrong.

• Employee Performance Improvement Tool Kit: Your key HR resource
  Every distributor needs a more structured approach to improving employee performance, and the Employee Performance Improvement Tool Kit (book and CD) fits that bill. Use it to find, hire, develop, evaluate and retain efficient and effective employees. It includes dozens of customizable templates and 21 different samples of distribution jobs. Make it a key component in your human resources program.

Weekly Poll

• How long do you expect a first interview to usually last?
  After voting once, check out the real-time poll results on NAW's All Access page as often as you'd like.

	A few seconds...the first impression is the real first interview.
	20 to 30 minutes maximum
	Not more than an hour
	At least an hour and hopefully lunch

Assistant Fill Plant Manager Gases Plus Casper, WY New Business Developer Super Enterprises New Jersey Vice President, Supplier and Product Strategy Summit Electric Supply Albuquerque, NM Director of Sales Pacor Inc. Cinnaminson, New Jersey

SmartQuote

Personally, I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught." --Winston Churchill, British prime minister