W. W. Grainger
American industrial distributor supplying maintenance, repair, and operating products and related inventory-management services.
Last updated August 27, 2026
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Overview
W. W. Grainger is an American business-to-business distributor focused on maintenance, repair, and operating products, commonly known as MRO supplies. William Wallace Grainger founded the company in Chicago in 1927 to help businesses obtain a dependable supply of electric motors. The enterprise was incorporated as W. W. Grainger, Inc. in 1928 and initially built its customer base through mail-order postcards and a catalog known as the MotorBook. That catalog established the broad-product, availability-oriented model that later became associated with the Grainger brand. The company expanded its physical distribution network during the 1930s, opening branches to improve local service and product access. Its offering subsequently broadened beyond motors to include electrical and lighting equipment, tools, fasteners, plumbing supplies, material-handling equipment, personal protective equipment, safety products, cleaning and maintenance supplies, and other items used to keep commercial, industrial, institutional, and public-sector operations functioning. Grainger generally serves organizations rather than relying primarily on conventional consumer retail sales. Its customers include manufacturers, contractors, government agencies, schools, healthcare organizations, utilities, and facilities-management teams. Grainger became publicly traded in 1967. Over time, the company combined catalog distribution, branch-based service, product expertise, technical support, inventory-management programs, and digital procurement. The Grainger.com website began in 1995 as an electronic catalog and developed into a full e-commerce platform. Digital ordering later expanded through customer-specific procurement integrations, eProcurement connections, and KeepStock inventory-management services. Grainger also operates Zoro, a web-based business serving small-business buyers in the United States, while MonotaRO, created as a joint venture with Sumitomo, operates an online industrial-supply model in Japan and other Asian markets. The company's distribution model combines online channels with branches and distribution facilities. Reference material describes a network of approximately 331 branches, 34 distribution facilities, and service to more than 4.5 million customers worldwide, although operating figures can change over time. Grainger's value proposition is based on product breadth, dependable fulfillment, technical knowledge, procurement convenience, and the ability to reduce the time and administrative cost involved in sourcing routine operating supplies. Its brand motto is “for the ones who get it done.” Grainger has also used acquisitions and divestitures to adjust its geographic and category footprint. Acquired businesses have included Imperial Supplies, Fabory, Cromwell Group Holdings, Techni-Tool, Safety Solutions, and other specialty distributors. The company divested Grainger China and the Netherlands-based Fabory business in 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Grainger was treated as an essential business because of its role in supplying workplaces and public institutions. Demand for personal protective equipment rose sharply, while global shortages and higher freight and supplier costs created supply and pricing pressure. Grainger remains an active, publicly listed industrial-distribution company headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois.
History
William Wallace Grainger established the company in Chicago in 1927. His initial objective was practical rather than retail-oriented: businesses needed a consistent source of motors and related operating equipment. The company was incorporated the following year as W. W. Grainger, Inc. Its early sales depended heavily on mail-order postcards and a printed catalog called the MotorBook. This catalog-based approach allowed Grainger to reach business customers with standardized product information before the development of modern industrial e-commerce. Grainger expanded its local presence during the 1930s. By 1936, it had established 15 branches, giving customers more direct access to products and service. The company gradually broadened its assortment from motors into the wider range of maintenance, repair, and operating products used by factories, facilities, contractors, government bodies, and other organizations. This expansion created the foundation for Grainger's modern broad-line industrial-distribution model. Leadership passed through several generations and senior executives. William Grainger retired in 1968. Edward F. Schmidt, who had served as executive vice president since 1953, became president and chief executive officer, while David William Grainger became chairman. David Grainger later became chief executive officer when Schmidt retired in 1974. The company continued to develop as a professionally managed public corporation while retaining the Grainger family name and heritage. Grainger's shares began trading publicly in 1967. Public ownership supported the company's continuing investment in branches, distribution infrastructure, product breadth, and customer-service capabilities. The company became known for a large catalog, local availability, and a service model designed to help customers avoid operational downtime. Its business was principally based on organizational purchasing rather than ordinary household retail transactions. A major later turning point was the move into digital commerce. Grainger launched grainger.com in 1995 as an electronic version of its catalog. The site evolved into a transactional platform, while customer-specific procurement systems and inventory-management tools extended the digital model into large-account purchasing. KeepStock helped customers manage recurring supplies and replenishment, and eProcurement integrations connected Grainger's assortment with corporate and institutional purchasing systems. By 2019, reference material stated that more than 70 percent of U.S. orders originated through digital channels, including the website, inventory-management systems, and eProcurement. The company also developed distinct businesses for different customer segments and geographies. Zoro Tools was launched in the United States in 2011 as a web-only, transaction-focused business aimed primarily at small businesses. MonotaRO, established in 2000 as a joint venture between Grainger and Sumitomo, developed an online industrial-supply operation serving Japan and other Asian markets. Grainger expanded through acquisitions including Imperial Supplies, a specialist supplier acquired in 2009, and several businesses in safety, tools, fasteners, energy, and industrial distribution. The company acquired Fabory in 2011 and Cromwell Group Holdings in 2015, among other transactions, but later divested Grainger China and Fabory in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored Grainger's role in industrial and institutional supply chains. The company was classified as an essential business, and demand for PPE increased sharply. At the same time, supplier shortages, freight inflation, and constrained availability created operational and reputational challenges. In 2020, Wisconsin officials questioned price increases on surgical masks; Grainger said the changes reflected increased supplier costs and shortages rather than an effort to exploit customers. The episode illustrates the tension faced by industrial distributors when essential products become scarce. Today, Grainger's model combines a large product assortment with distribution centers, branches, digital ordering, technical assistance, and inventory-management services. Its brand continues to target the people and organizations responsible for maintaining workplaces, equipment, buildings, and public infrastructure.
- 2020
Grainger divested China and Fabory operations
[1]The company divested Grainger China and Netherlands-based Fabory while continuing to adjust its international portfolio.
- 2015
Cromwell Group acquired
[1]Grainger acquired Cromwell Group Holdings in the United Kingdom.
- 2011
Zoro launched
[1]Grainger launched Zoro as a web-only business serving primarily small-business customers in the United States.
- 2009
Imperial Supplies acquired
[1]Grainger acquired Imperial Supplies, expanding its specialist distribution capabilities.
- 2000
MonotaRO established
[1]Grainger and Sumitomo established MonotaRO as an online industrial-supply joint venture.
- 1995
Grainger.com launched
[1]Grainger introduced an electronic catalog that later developed into its e-commerce platform.
- 1974
David Grainger became chief executive
[1]David William Grainger assumed the chief executive role after Schmidt's retirement.
- 1968
Leadership transition after the founder's retirement
[1]William Grainger retired; Edward F. Schmidt became president and chief executive officer, and David William Grainger became chairman.
- 1967
Public listing
[1]Grainger became a publicly traded company.
- 1936
Branch network reached 15 locations
[1]Grainger expanded local customer access by establishing 15 branches.
Products and positioning
A broad-line MRO distributor positioned around dependable product availability, rapid fulfillment, procurement efficiency, technical support, and inventory-management expertise for organizations that keep facilities and operations running.
Electrical
Electrical and lighting supplies
Grainger's electrical assortment includes equipment and components used in facility maintenance, industrial systems, construction, and repair work. Lighting products support commercial, institutional, warehouse, and industrial environments. The category reflects the company's historical connection to motors and electrical equipment while extending into a much broader maintenance-supply range.
Material handling
Material-handling equipment
Material-handling products help customers move, store, lift, position, and organize goods and equipment. The range serves warehouses, factories, maintenance departments, and facilities that require routine handling infrastructure rather than consumer household products.
Tools and hardware
Tools and fasteners
Grainger supplies hand tools, power tools, fasteners, hardware, and related accessories for maintenance teams, contractors, machinists, and industrial operators. These products are commonly purchased as recurring operating supplies or replacement items needed to keep equipment and facilities functioning.
Plumbing
Plumbing and pipefitting supplies
The plumbing assortment covers products used in repair, installation, water systems, piping, and facility maintenance. It supports professional and institutional buyers who need standardized components and dependable replenishment for ongoing building and equipment work.
Safety
Safety and personal protective equipment
Grainger offers workplace-safety products and personal protective equipment used to protect employees in industrial, construction, healthcare, public-sector, and facilities environments. The category includes protective clothing and equipment as well as broader safety supplies and compliance-related workplace products.
Digital commerce · 1995
Grainger.com
Grainger.com began as an electronic catalog in 1995 and developed into the company's principal online ordering channel. It gives organizational buyers access to product information, account-specific purchasing, order fulfillment, and procurement functions alongside the branch and distribution network.
Digital commerce · 2011
Zoro
Zoro is Grainger's web-only business serving primarily small-business customers in the United States. It uses a transaction-oriented online model and offers industrial, maintenance, and workplace products to both business buyers and individual purchasers.
Inventory management
KeepStock
KeepStock is an inventory-management service designed to help customers monitor, organize, and replenish frequently used MRO supplies. It extends Grainger's role beyond product fulfillment by addressing the administrative and operational work associated with maintaining on-site inventory.
Controversies
2020
Surgical-mask price-gouging allegation
During the COVID-19 PPE shortage, Wisconsin's Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection sent Grainger a letter alleging that surgical-mask prices had risen from approximately $0.17 to $1.00 per mask. Grainger said the increase reflected supplier-cost increases and broad shortages. The allegation was reported in the context of pandemic procurement pressure and did not establish that the company had committed unlawful price gouging.
Marketing campaigns
- For the ones who get it done
United States · International
Grainger's brand motto emphasizes the workers, technicians, facilities teams, and organizations responsible for completing practical maintenance and operational tasks.
Brand decisions
2020
Portfolio restructuring through international divestituresStrategyBackground
Grainger reviewed its international operations and the fit of selected businesses with its long-term distribution strategy.
Action taken
The company divested Grainger China and the Netherlands-based Fabory business.
Aftermath
The divestitures reduced parts of Grainger's international operating footprint while the company continued serving global customers through selected markets and digital businesses.
2011
Launch of ZoroStrategyBackground
Grainger identified a need for a web-first purchasing model aimed at small businesses and more transaction-oriented buyers.
Action taken
The company launched Zoro as a separate web-only business in the United States.
Aftermath
Zoro provided a distinct digital channel while Grainger.com continued to focus primarily on larger and mid-sized organizational customers.
2000
Establishment of MonotaRO joint ventureStrategyBackground
Grainger sought an online industrial-distribution presence in Japan and other Asian markets.
Action taken
Grainger and Sumitomo established MonotaRO as an online-only industrial-supply business.
Aftermath
MonotaRO developed a distinct digital distribution model serving Japanese and other Asian customers.
1995
Move into electronic commerceStrategyBackground
Industrial customers increasingly needed faster access to catalog information and more convenient procurement processes.
Action taken
Grainger launched grainger.com as an electronic catalog and subsequently developed it into a transactional e-commerce platform.
Aftermath
Digital ordering became an important part of the company's customer-service and fulfillment model, later incorporating eProcurement and inventory-management integrations.
Recent events
Grainger acquires technology assets from Adroit Worldwide Media for $210 million[3]
Reported:
W.W. Grainger, Inc. announced the acquisition of technology, intellectual property and talent assets from Adroit Worldwide Media (AWM) for $210 million in cash, expected to enhance inventory management capabilities in its High-Touch Solutions – North America segment.
- Unconfirmed
Grainger plans to combine North American commercial functions[4]
Reported:
Grainger said the Grainger Business Unit will merge all commercial functions for the Grainger brand in North America into a single organization.
- Unconfirmed
Grainger appoints Paige Robbins to lead Grainger Business Unit[4]
Reported:
Grainger announced Paige Robbins's appointment as president of the Grainger Business Unit, which comprises its businesses in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
Grainger announces Robert O’Keef as interim CFO[5]
Reported:
W.W. Grainger announced that Vice President and Treasurer Robert O’Keef would become interim CFO effective January 1, 2021.
Sources5 sources
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