C&S Wholesale Grocers has entered into a deal to acquire 109 Piggly Wiggly and Butera Market stores in the Midwest to grow its footprint in the region and add to the 530 Piggly Wiggly banners it already licenses. Terms of the deal weren't released, but C&S CEO Bob Palmer said the purchase is "a natural expansion of our already successful Piggly Wiggly Carolina business."

Private equity firms are interested in acquiring distributors because of their cash flow, low risk and "relatively low barriers to entry," says John Schweig, a former executive at Grainger and current operating partner at private equity firm Snow Phipps. Schweig explains why PE firms value so-called platform businesses, good management and a solid customer base.

Drone Delivery Canada is currently testing its Condor autonomous delivery helicopter, and Silicon Valley's Reliable Robotics reports that Cessna Caravans are showing promise with autonomous systems as well. "We think the market for this sort of unmanned aircraft delivering cargo is going to happen before the urban portion with passengers," says Mike Blades of Frost and Sullivan.

Used truck tractors are in short supply amid increased demand due to the surge in e-commerce, and prices are now almost a third higher than a year ago, according to ACT Research. "For the first time since we started following the used truck market almost 20 years ago, the average price of 3-year-old trucks with 300-400,000 miles on them broke the six-figure barrier," ACT Vice President Steve Tam said.

Sales jobs are plentiful and profitable, but what most workers don't realize is that sales jobs have evolved from cold calling to client management. "It's much more problem-solving and working with clients now. Most college-educated sales roles have become much more consultative," says recruiter Keith Wolf.

It's now imperative for business-to-business marketers to create empathetic digital buying journeys, writes S4 Firewood's Susanna Lee, who offers tips to understanding and creating a customer-centric experience. Cater to B2B prospects' desire for self-service, delight them, engage emotionally and make taking the next steps as easy as possible, she advises.

Most companies have six groups of employee talent potential, with everyone starting as "well-placed workers with mixed futures" and only some of those destined for leadership in strategy, operations or relationship management, write Roger Pearman and Robert Eichinger of TalentTelligent. They detail each of the six categories and how leaders can effectively manage them over time.

Through NAW's new exclusive Margin Protect for Distributors solution, we, with our partners at Gallagher and Liberty Mutual, can make true impact on distributors' bottom line. Give this video a quick look and hear directly from NAW, Gallagher, and Liberty Mutual leaders about what makes this program a complete game-changer for the distribution industry. Learn more.

Through the education alliance between the NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence and Texas A&M University's Industrial Distribution Program, NAW offers this cutting-edge educational program that is customized to distributors. Learn more.

According to J. Michael Marks, NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence Fellow "Being on the defensive is only a strategy if you want to lose more slowly. Distributors that are willing to play offense will pay attention to three key trends in terms of customer expectations." Read his post here.