Thomas Wicke

Opportunities flourish in local retail establishments for a variety of products WHEN DISTRIBUTORS think of lucrative vertical markets, retailers are rarely the first to pop into their minds. Retail is often overlooked, even as it remains right under the proverbial nose of the distributor sniffing out new opportunities. Although consolidation has squeezed the middle out of the market, niches still abound for the perceptive distributor. "We produce a lot of retail signage," said Doug Marecek, sales manager for manufacturer Integrated Print & Graphics (IPG), South Elgin, Ill. One product that IPG sells, Teslin paper, which is "almost like plastic" and very durable, is