Grainger may divest piece of Specialty Brands Business

W.W. Grainger Inc., Lake Forest, Ill., may divest parts of its Specialty Brands portfolio, including Construction Book Express, which sells books for electricians, general contractors, HVAC professionals architects and engineers. The company has already sold substantially all of the assets of another piece of that business, library supplies provider Highsmith, to DEMCO, Inc., the leading provider of solutions to America’s libraries and schools. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

As part of a strategic review of the Specialty Brands portfolio, Grainger is also assessing the possible divestiture of four additional brands, including: Professional Equipment (serving inspection and construction-related trade professionals); McFeely’s (serving the professional woodworking market); and Rand (serving material handling needs). Altogether, these four brands and Highsmith represent approximately one percent of total Grainger revenue.