Texas is one state with a lot of resources. It has been quite fortunate to have such a wide expanse of land with contains deserts, coastal regions, inland water, lots of natural resources, and good land to farm on. Texans capitalize on these resources and are fully into manufacturing. The state is into other economic activities like oil exploration and refining, mining, and production of iron ore into steel, mining and production of copper, and the mining and production of tin.

With a population of almost 30 million residents, Texas is the second-most populous state in the United States. It is behind California with almost 40 million residents. The exponential population growth in the state has been due to migration to the state. More people are moving to the state because of the employment opportunities and potentials in the state. This is a very good signal for retail trade. Retail distribution thrives where the number of consumers is overwhelming. There can be many retail distributors focusing on the market but there will always be the need to get in more products to satisfy the increasing population. The 2010 census estimated the state to have about 25.1 million residents. In 2019, we have almost 30 million.

Just like every other American state, there are essentials that are needed daily by Americans. Food, shelter, toiletries, clothes, electronic gadgets, transportation, and a whole lot of essentials are needed by the average human being for existence in the 21^stcentury world.

The retail trade is one that connects directly to the consumers. It is the trade that lays emphasis on how to get the consumer to get the product from a particular retailer and to establish a relationship with that retailer. However, a retailer, most times, does not get the goods directly from the manufacturers or get the goods produced herself. There is the existence of the retail distributor in the supply chain.

Retail distributors are essential links in the supply chain. When manufacturers produce their products, they need distribution for the product. There are several situations where the manufacturer does the distribution to retailers. This is direct store delivery. However, not all manufacturers have the capacity to do their own distribution to retail outlets. For instance, a new brand still seeking market recognition does not have a name in the market and will need to be significantly promoted and pushed. A retail distributor can do a better job of getting the product to several hundred or even thousands of stores.

With about 20% of the working population in Texas into retail and wholesale trade, there is an impressive amount working in the supply chain. However, there is more to the supply chain than the number involved. There are general goods everyone is interested in but there are specialized products like adult goods, sports goods, smoking goods, and some others.

Philips Distribution is an example of a leading foodservice distributor who gets the products to retailers, caterers, schools, food processors, and government facilities.