GWW vs PSA 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.

Public Storage is the largest owner of self-storage facilities in the US, with more than 3,300 self-storage facilities in 40 states and approximately 245 million square feet of rentable space. Through equity interests, it also has exposure to the European self-storage market through Shurgard Self Storage. The company also has a merchandise business, a third-party property management business, and an insurance business that offers products to cover losses for the goods in self-storage facilities.