Prominent Vendor Joins Car Stereo Distributor Group

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The car audio industry’s first distributor group, the Elite Distributor Alliance, has added a new prominent vendor, Metra Electronics, as a partner.

Metra becomes the group’s 5th vendor, following Race Sport Lighting (automotive lighting), Atrend (subwoofer enclosures), Scorpion (window film) and FIT (OE integration products) which all joined the group in January.

Metra joins Elite Distributor GroupThe announcement was formalized at an EDA meeting this week in St. Louis.

All Metra brands including Axxess, ballistic, Heise (lighting), iBeam (safety) and Shuriken (power cells) will be available to EDA distributors effective May 1.

Ray Windsor, director of EDA said the group is talking to virtually every leading supplier in the car audio business and expects to announce 5 more vendor members over the next 6 months.

The EDA has been actively selling since December 2015.

The group is owned by its distributor members. It distributors receive vendor discounts in exchange for volume commitments to inventory. This in turn benefits retailers as distributors now stock a better flow of inventory with improved margins for retailers.  EDA also hopes to reduce the industry pitfall of end-of-the month deals that erode profits.

Officers of the distributor group include President Josh Eatherly of P & E Distributors. Other officers include VP Craig Breinholt of Mountain West; Treasurer Kevin Holder of Ultimate Marketing and Secretary George McGoldrick of AM Distributors.

EDA’s newest distributor member is RJR based in MD.

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