BACKGROUND AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2019

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

BACKGROUND AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

BACKGROUND AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

W.W. Grainger, Inc. is a broad line, business-to-business distributor of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products and services with operations primarily in North America, Europe and Japan. In this report, the words “Company” or “Grainger” mean W.W. Grainger, Inc. and its subsidiaries, except where the context makes it clear that the reference is only to W.W. Grainger, Inc. itself and not its subsidiaries.

The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Financial Statements) of the Company and the related notes are unaudited and should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes for the year ended December 31, 2018 included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on February 28, 2019.

The Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2018 has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements at that date, but does not include all of the disclosures required by accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. for complete financial statements.

The unaudited financial information reflects all adjustments (primarily consisting of normal recurring adjustments) which, in the opinion of management, are necessary for a fair presentation of the statements contained in this report.