Supplier Profile: Nubani Distributors

NUBANI DISTRIBUTORS, formerly Nubani Trading Company, is a family owned and operated wholesale distributor that specializes in the secondary and closeout market. The company is now a one-stop-shop for thousands of retailers, having added snacks, grocery items, and health & beauty products to its line of confectionary foods.Nubani Trading Company was founded in 1986 by Fouad Nubani as a wholesale candy company, and is run today by Fouad’s sons, Sam and Nader Nubani. Although the elder Nubani is officially retired, he still plays an advisory role in the business he nurtured to success. “We have always offered superior quality products at unbeatably low prices,” says Sam Nubani. “Now, we’re taking advantage of the exclusive relationships we’ve formed with reputable manufacturers over a quarter of a century in business. We are pleased to offer our customers the convenience of getting many of the products they need to run their stores in one place, at the best prices.”

Nubani is Now Your One-Stop-Shop

Retailers like the company’s new direction, he adds, and they are asking for other products as well. To this end, Nubani is forming new relationships with additional liquidation companies. “By working with more companies, we have more products to offer our customers.” Still, Nubani insists on what he calls “controlled growth.” “We carefully put one foot in at a time when we begin selling a new product. For example, health & beauty is new to us, so we are researching the market to be sure we know the industry.”

Nubani Distributors continues to provide customers not only a broad range of products at great prices, but also superior customer service, he points out. “We now have a dedicated customer service department and we provide excellent service on a timely basis. In our industry, that is critical because we deal with many items that are close to expiring and time is of the essence for our customers.” While the business is growing, Nubani is making sure it has a solid foundation of support, and more than 30 employees serve in a range of departments including human resources, logistics, financing, shipping and receiving.

Furthermore, Nubani recently purchased the 150,000 square foot warehouse it occupies in Bellwood, IL. “The warehouse is only six years old, and it’s completely temperature controlled to preserve the quality of our chocolate and other products,” Nubani comments. “Our warehouse is immaculate and I’m very proud of the condition we keep it in. We keep all our product on racks, we polish, buff and wax our floors every three months, and we make sure nothing is open or in the aisles.”

With all the pieces neatly in place, Nubani continues to develop at a phenomenal pace, having grown 35 to 40 percent each year for the last five years. Sales were $28 million in 2012, and this year the company is on pace to do $36 million in sales. “That’s partly because of the direction in which we are moving, to carry new items like snacks, grocery, and health & beauty,” Nubani notes. “It’s also because we follow the core values our father has instilled in us, honesty and what goes around comes around twice as hard. We’ll soon be a Fortune 500 company, but no matter how big we get, we will always offer personalized service and treat everyone with respect. We make sure our customers are happy with their orders, and that they are successful with sales of our products.”