Story at a Glance

Promotions will help achieve demand-supply balance...increased specialization by man. ufacturer, wholesaler and retailer..."it's going to be a hell of a year."

become "lean and mean," and many have developed a profitable niche in specialized products or narrow product mixes or special services for both supplier and customer. They too are positioned well forthe comingbalance in supply and demand. Wholesale distribution is currently receiving further impetus from the simple fact that when producers start thinking about added value rather than added production it helps wholesale distribution.

Finally, there is the retailer. He is fast becoming a larger and a more sophisticated operator. He has reduced his inventory costs and is already a "survivor" from much higher interest rates than we have now, or are likely to experience in 1985.

Wait a minute. What about the fact that production is becoming concentrated in fewer hands? What about the concentration at the retail level? How about the growth of the superlarge wholesaler? We would submit the following:

Can the vertically integrated producer invest :rs many dollars in his production units (thereby remaining the lowest cost producer) as his competitor who does not have to invest in

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