GWW vs AMP Comparison

Founded in 1927, W.W. Grainger originally distributed various motors via a mail-order catalogue. Over the course of the 20th century, the firm expanded into new industrial product categories and launched its first digital catalogue in 1995. Today, the company organizes itself into two segments focused on different customer bases. Its larger segment, high-touch solutions, offers a vast array of maintenance, repair, and operations, or MRO, supplies and bespoke inventory management services to larger businesses. Its smaller segment, endless assortment, operates two online platforms, Zoro and MonotaRO, that offer comprehensive catalogues of MRO supplies to smaller businesses. Grainger has operations throughout the world but primarily generates sales within the US.

Ameriprise Financial has evolved into a diversified financial services provider that generates roughly 65% of its operating income from advice and wealth management. With nearly $1.2 trillion in segment assets under management and advisory at year-end 2025, and with roughly 10,600 affiliated and employee advisors, Ameriprise is one of the larger US-based wealth managers. It also boasts a reasonably large asset management franchise in Columbia Threadneedle, which boasted $678 billion in assets under management at year-end 2025. The firm's third key segment is its retirement and protection services business, which sells insurance products to the firm's advisory clients. After eliminations, Ameriprise had $1.69 trillion in assets under management and advisory across segments at year-end 2025.