SANTA ANA, Calif. - After increasing staff, boosting inventory, and adding and relocating several locations, Grainger, a distributor of facilities maintenance products, has completed its expansion across the San Francisco Bay Area with the opening of a new branch in Fremont.

“Grainger’s local expansion was in direct response to customer requests for more facilities maintenance products closer to them,” said Rick Haley, district branch services manager for Grainger. “Today more than ever, our business customers need to be as efficient as possible, and we’ve responded by offering quick, easy, same-day access to more of the products they need.”

The new branch includes a 2,500-square-foot showroom that offers products specific to the needs of its local contractor, commercial, and manufacturing customers. The branch also offers same-day availability of more than 21,000 facilities maintenance products with access to over 100,000 more through Grainger’s local network. Products include ventilation and air conditioning equipment, and electrical, plumbing, safety, and security supplies.

Grainger’s expansion throughout the San Francisco Peninsula and the North, South, and East Bay regions has resulted in the addition of one new branch, the relocation of six others, and the expansion or modernization of six local facilities. The company now operates 13 locations in the Bay Area, serving local business customers such as contractors, health care facilities, manufacturers, and government institutions.

The local expansion, launched in 2007, began with the relocation of the company’s downtown San Francisco branch. Most recently, two branches were relocated to more accessible, convenient locations in Berkeley and San Leandro near the Oakland Airport. Additional branches in Sunnyvale, San Jose, San Carlos, Burlingame, Hayward, Concord, Rohnert Park, and San Rafael were also included in the expansion.

Grainger’s changes across the Bay Area have been part of the company’s national market expansion program designed to make purchasing facilities maintenance products faster and easier for business customers in major metropolitan areas. The company has already completed expansions in cities such as Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, Denver, Pittsburgh, Tampa, Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Seattle, and is continuing to enhance its presence in other markets, including the New York area and the Gulf Region.

For more information, visit www.grainger.com.

Publication date: 11/03/2008