Gulf Coast Grainger Branches Selling Cleanup Supplies

Sales of clean-up supplies to oil and gas customers battling the BP oil disaster helped push May sales up 16 percent for W.W. Grainger Inc., Lake Forest, Ill. Branches are selling oil booms, degreasers and safety supplies, according to a podcast by Ernest Duplessis, Grainger's V.P. of investor relations. Overall U.S. sales were up 10 percent and sales to the heavy manufacturing customer segment were up more than 20 percent for the company.