Sales of Gulf Coast clean-up supplies boost Grainger October sales

October daily sales in the U.S. for W.W. Grainger Inc., Lake Forest, Ill., were up 8 percent, due in part to sales related to the oil spill clean up in the Gulf of Mexico, which contributed 1 percentage point to Grainger's U.S. sales in October.

Market results for Grainger's other key business segments were as follows: heavy manufacturing was up in the mid-teens; light manufacturing was up in the high single digits; retail was up in the mid-single digits; contractor and commercial were up in the low single digits; and government was down low single digits.

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