Readers Respond: Sentiment resists consolidation

It's unmistakable: the building supply and home improvement industry is getting smaller, and companies are getting bigger.

With recent blockbuster mergers like Weyerhaeuser and Plum Creek, BMC and Stock Building Supply, Newell Rubbermaid and Jarden, and US LBM's continued acquisitions of dozens of smaller regional players, the industry is finding that there's safety in numbers, or in joining forces and combining one's assets.

The only thing that's not consolidating is reader sentiment regarding this trend.

In a recent HBSDealer poll, we asked: "Consolidation is a fact of life in the hardware and building supply industry. How concerned are you?"

The opinions are evenly split so far, with 30% of 221 voters saying they were "minimally" worried and that "the industry remains very fragmented"; 36% saying they were "moderately" worried and that "the industry is approaching a tipping point"; and 34% saying they were "extremely" worried, and that "the big just keep getting bigger."

What's your stance? There's still time to vote.