Anixter International Inc. is a leading global distributor of communications and security products, electrical and electronic wire and cable, fasteners and other small parts. The company adds value to the distribution process by providing its customers access to 1) innovative inventory management programs; 2) more than 425,000 products and more than $900 million in inventory; 3) 225 warehouses with more than 7 million square feet of space; and 4) locations in 265 cities in 52 countries. Founded in 1957 and headquartered near Chicago, Anixter trades on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AXE.

Anixter's operating philosophy is built on the idea that our customers and the suppliers we represent in the marketplace value a partner with consistent global product offerings, technical product and application support and supply chain service offerings that are supported by a common operating system and business practices that insures the "same look, touch and feel" to doing business with Anixter wherever we support them in the world.

The company's growth strategy is built on a foundation of organic growth driven by constant refresh and expansion of our product offering to meet changing marketplace needs. This organic growth approach extends to a constantly evolving set of supply chain services that are designed to lower the customer's total cost of procuring, owning and deploying the products we sell. Organic growth will periodically be supplemented with acquisitions where the benefits associated with geographic expansion, market penetration or new product line additions are weighted in favor of "buying versus building."

Anixter has used a shareholder friendly approach to capitalizing its business and supporting the capital requirements for growth. With a target debt-to-total capital ratio of 45 to 50 percent that seeks to optimize the weighted average cost of capital the company has balanced the needs for working capital investment to support organic growth, invest in acquisitions and when appropriate return capital to shareholders by way of share repurchases and special dividends. In the 5 year period ended with fiscal 2008 the company funded working capital investments totaling $730 million to support organic sales growth, it spent $415 million to acquire new businesses and it returned $555 million to shareholders in the share repurchases and special dividends while operating within the targeted capital structure parameters.

This approach to building and managing our business and capital structure has lead to compounded rates of sales growth of 18.5 percent, operating profit growth of 33.5 percent, earnings per share growth of 35.0 percent and a return on stockholders equity of 18.5 percent for the 5 year period ended with fiscal 2008.

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