NetPlus Alliance, a North American industrial and contractor supplies buying group, posted a 20.5 percent increase in purchases in the first quarter of 2018. This surge in growth comes after the group saw a year-over-year increase of 10.7 percent in 2017. NetPlus Alliance has added 36 new distributor members and 31 new suppliers since January 2017.

In the new quarterly NetPlus Industry Outlook report, more than half of members reported sales growth of more than 3 percent in the first quarter of 2018 compared with the fourth quarter of 2017.

More than three-quarters of NetPlus members are expecting growth of at least 3 percent for the remainder of the year.

“While NetPlus members see great opportunities to improve operational efficiencies and invest in product diversification to drive growth in 2018, like many in the industry, our members are reporting headwinds competing online and in recruiting top talent,” said Dan Judge, NetPlus Alliance chairman and author of the NetPlus Industry Outlook.

About a third of NetPlus members cited product diversification as the reason for their optimism in 2018. NetPlus continues to add new suppliers to help distributor members diversify their offering to sell more to existing customers and expand into new markets.

Visit www.netplusalliance.com.