You can often tell a person’s age by which analog products appear in his childhood memories. Likewise, you know D&H Distributing has reached a sagely age if it first entered the CE business when crystal radios were hot.
D&H opened its doors and began supporting customers in the automotive industry in 1918, and later added the CE business. This spring marks D&H’s 85th anniversary, so it’s no surprise that the company is noticing sales increasing in yet another new category: home and small business networking. The multi-divisional wholesale distributor says that in the last year more and more business is being conducted across its computer and CE divisions due to increased demand for networking.
In an attempt to help its retail clients understand this new growth area, D&H will host its second annual Converged Market Trade Show, which will be held July 23, here. The show is free to D&H’s regional customers, who will be offered a firsthand look at the latest technologies from leading manufacturers. Also, special one-day pricing will be offered on the sales floor. Last year, 27 vendors and more than 160 retailers attended the event.
D&H estimates that it serves close to 2,000 customers who now sell to both the home and commercial networking environments, and it expects that number to grow to 4,000 in 2003.
“More home technologies are incorporating broadband, telephony and wireless capabilities that were formerly exclusive to corporate networking,” said D&H VP/sales Jeff Davis. “If you look at any of the hot sellers in this area — network cameras, online gaming, HDTVs, home automation products — D&H offers them all. We can be a one-stop shop for customers in this space.”
For information on the show, call D&H at 800-340-1007 or visit www.dandh.com.
