W.W. Grainger Inc. announced Oct. 14 that it had purchased Imperial Supplies, adistributor of maintenance products and aftermarket components.

W.W. Grainger Inc. announced Oct. 14 that it had purchased Imperial Supplies LLC as an all-cash deal from American Capital Ltd.

Other terms were not disclosed. Grainger estimated the transaction would boost its earnings by 3 cents to 5 cents a share in 2010.

Imperial is a 41-year-old distributor of maintenance products and aftermarket components for the vehicle and fleet industries. Its 2008 sales were $67 million.

"Imperial Supplies is a leading player in the $4 billion fleet maintenance industry and we are excited to begin working together,” said Mike Pulick, president of Grainger’s U.S. businesses. "In addition to the financial benefits for our shareholders, we anticipate cross selling opportunities by offering Imperial customers access to Grainger’s broad product offering and national distribution scale and Grainger customers access to the 20,000 fleet maintenance products Imperial carries.”

Imperial keep its name and become part of Grainger’s specialty brands, officials said. Imperial’s current CEO, Rob Gilson, will work under Ralph Howard, Grainger’s specialty brands vice president.

“We share common values that focus on serving customers with the utmost integrity,” said Gilson. “Going forward, this is a big win for Imperial customers because they have our ongoing commitment to superior service combined with the scale of Grainger’s industry leading network.”