Reader's Wholesale Distributors
Reader's Wholesale Distributors is a fourth-generation, family-owned wholesale flooring distributor founded in 1935 in Houston, serving over 2,500 floor covering dealers across Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi with residential and commercial flooring products plus installation supplies via direct sales and a 24/7 e-commerce portal.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1935
- HeadquartersHouston, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Reader's Wholesale Distributors does
Reader's Wholesale Distributors, LTD is a privately held, family-owned wholesale flooring distributor founded in 1935 by Hymen Reader in Houston, Texas. The company distributes residential flooring products (hardwood, laminate, sheet vinyl, LVT) and commercial flooring products (for healthcare, education, hospitality, and multi-family applications), along with installation supplies such as adhesives, underlayments, and surface preparation materials. It serves over 2,500 floor covering dealers across Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi through a combination of direct sales engagement and a 24/7 e-commerce portal powered by Kerridge Commercial Systems' DNav Online platform. Reader's is ranked among the 20 largest flooring distributors in North America and has held the Armstrong Flooring distributorship continuously since 1945, alongside a broader portfolio that includes Tarkett, AHF Products, Metroflor, Southern Traditions, and others.
The company's operations are anchored by a Houston headquarters and warehouse of approximately 120,000 sq ft (80,000 sq ft base plus a 40,000 sq ft addition completed in June 1998), supplemented by a regional cross-dock distribution network operated through third-party logistics partners in Austin/Pflugerville, San Antonio, New Orleans, and Jackson. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and requires dealer account registration; revenue is generated on a transactional wholesale basis with customers purchasing products for resale and installation. There are no proprietary technology products, AI/ML capabilities, apps, or APIs disclosed; the entire digital stack is delivered via the third-party Kerridge DNav platform.
The business has been operated under the Reader-Burke family across four generations: founder Hymen Reader, his son-in-law Leonard Burke (president from 1964), grandson Lucky Burke (president from 1986, now Chairman), and great-grandson Adam Burke (president since 2011). The company remains privately owned with no external investors, parent company, public filings, or funding rounds disclosed. Revenue figures are not publicly available, and headcount is reported in the 51-100 range. Marketing is conducted primarily through the company website, email newsletter sign-ups, and partner brand displays rather than through paid acquisition channels.
Reader's Wholesale Distributors firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Reader's Wholesale Distributors
- Legal name
- Reader's Wholesale Distributors, LTD
- Website
- https://readerswholesale.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1935
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Reader's Wholesale Distributors is a fourth-generation, family-owned wholesale flooring distributor founded in 1935 in Houston, serving over 2,500 floor covering dealers across Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi with residential and commercial flooring products plus installation supplies via direct sales and a 24/7 e-commerce portal.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Reader's Wholesale Distributors industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Wholesale Flooring Distribution
- SIC
- Wholesale-Lumber & Other Construction Materials (5030)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Flooring (Carpet, Tile, Wood, Laminate) Distribution (CRAOAFAE)
Keywords
Where Reader's Wholesale Distributors is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Houston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Reader's Wholesale Distributors business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Wholesale Flooring Distribution: Reader's Wholesale Distributors generates revenue through wholesale distribution of flooring products including hardwood, laminate, sheet vinyl, LVT (luxury vinyl tile), and installation supplies to floor covering dealers. They serve both residential and commercial markets.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Reader's Wholesale Distributors product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Reader's Wholesale Distributors is a wholesale distributor of residential and commercial flooring products, including hardwood, laminate, sheet vinyl, LVT (luxury vinyl tile), and installation supplies. The company serves more than 2,500 floor covering dealers across Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi through a regional cross-dock distribution network and a 24/7 e-commerce ordering portal.
Product overview
Reader's Wholesale Distributors operates as a flooring products distributor offering two primary product lines: Residential and Commercial flooring. Residential products include hardwood, laminate, sheet vinyl, LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile), and installation supplies for single-family and multi-family homes. Commercial products serve healthcare, education, hospitality, and other commercial sectors. The company also provides an E-Commerce Ordering Portal as an add-on service for registered customers to check stock, place orders, and access pricing. All products are sourced from manufacturer partners including Armstrong Flooring, AHF Products, Metroflor, Southern Traditions Flooring, Tarkett, Capella Floors, and others.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Residential Flooring Products Complete offering of residential flooring including hardwood, laminate, sheet vinyl, LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile), and installation supplies for single-family homes and multi-family residential applications. Sold wholesale to floor covering dealers.
- Commercial Flooring Products Flooring products and installation supplies for all phases of commercial projects, including healthcare, education, hospitality, and other commercial applications. Sold wholesale to floor covering dealers and contractors.
- Flooring Installation Supplies Adhesives, underlayment, surface preparation products, and other installation materials compatible with hardwood, laminate, LVT, and other flooring types. Sold wholesale alongside flooring products to dealers and contractors.
- E-Commerce Ordering Portal
Companies that use Reader's Wholesale Distributors
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Reader's Wholesale Distributors technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Reader's Wholesale Distributors partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
20 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.
- Armstrong FlooringcoreReader's Wholesale distributes Armstrong Flooring products, including both residential and commercial lines. Armstrong is one of the largest manufacturers of hard-surface floor and wall coverings. Reader's has held the Armstrong distributorship since 1945.
- TarkettcoreReader's distributes Tarkett commercial flooring products, Tarkett Home residential products, and Johnsonite commercial products. Tarkett is a major global flooring manufacturer.
- AHF ProductscoreReader's distributes AHF Products flooring including Hartco and other AHF brands for both residential and commercial applications.
- MetroflorsecondaryReader's distributes Metroflor products including Artistek and Provident collections, featuring LVT and other resilient flooring options.
- Southern Traditions FlooringcoreReader's distributes Southern Traditions Flooring products including Bella Cera waterproof, True Touch, LM hardwood, Madera hardwood, and other Southern Traditions product lines.
- Ardex AmericassecondaryReader's distributes Ardex Americas installation products used for floor preparation and installation in commercial and residential projects.
- Audacity FlooringsecondaryReader's distributes Audacity Flooring products for residential applications, featured on both commercial and residential product pages.
- MP Global ProductsminorReader's distributes MP Global underlayment products used in flooring installation applications.
- EarthwerksminorReader's distributes Earthwerks flooring products, a manufacturer known for wood and stone-look LVT and plank products.
- TitebondsecondaryReader's distributes Titebond flooring products including adhesives and installation solutions for professional flooring contractors.
- Capella FloorssecondaryReader's distributes Capella Floors residential hardwood and flooring products.
- Inhaus SurfacessecondaryReader's distributes Inhaus Surfaces laminate and LVT flooring products for residential applications.
- MapeiminorReader's distributes Mapei installation products including adhesives, grouts, and surface preparation solutions for flooring projects.
- Tego SystemsminorReader's distributes Tego Systems commercial flooring products.
- RubberLogixminorReader's distributes RubberLogix rubber flooring products for commercial applications.
- Protect All FlooringminorReader's distributes Protect All Flooring underlayment and protective products.
- Encircle ProductsminorReader's distributes Encircle Products for residential flooring applications.
- Eternity UnderlaymentminorReader's distributes Eternity Underlayment premium underlayment products for flooring installation.
- SprayLockminorReader's distributes SprayLock installation products for flooring applications.
- Kerridge Commercial SystemscoreReader's Wholesale Distributors uses Kerridge Commercial Systems DNav Online software for their e-commerce portal and ordering system. This is the underlying technology platform powering their online business operations.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Reader's Wholesale Distributors competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ABC Supply Co. Largest wholesale distributor of roofing, siding, and building products in North America. Comparable to Reader's through regional multi-state wholesale distribution to contractors, though at far larger scale and broader product breadth.
- Foundation Building Materials: Specialty distributor of building products including interior and exterior categories, with regional branch networks. Comparable to Reader's through the same contractor-channel wholesale model and regional density strategy.
- L&W Supply: Wholesale distributor of building materials including drywall, ceilings, steel framing, and flooring accessories serving professional contractors. Operates regional distribution centers similar to Reader's cross-dock model and shares the contractor-channel distribution approach.
- Lansing Building Products: National wholesale distributor of exterior building products (siding, windows, roofing, flooring accessories) serving contractors and dealers. Comparable to Reader's in business model: regional warehousing, contractor-channel focus, and multi-state coverage.
- SRS Distribution: National roofing and building products distributor acquired by The Home Depot in 2018. Directly comparable to Reader's as a multi-state wholesale distributor serving a similar contractor and dealer base with overlapping product categories (building products, with flooring/roofing adjacency).
Broad incumbents
- Builders FirstSource: Largest U.S. supplier of building products to professional home builders, including flooring. Comparable to Reader's as a building-products distributor serving contractors at scale, but operates much broader national footprint and product mix.
- Mohawk Industries: World's largest flooring manufacturer with branded and private-label offerings across all flooring categories. Key upstream supplier to Reader's distribution model; vertically integrated into retail/trade channels, making it both a partner and potential competitor to wholesale distributors.
- Shaw Industries Group: Major flooring manufacturer (carpet, hardwood, LVT, tile) operating vertically integrated distribution. Comparable to Reader's at the supply-chain level; competing manufacturer-distributors could shift share away from independent distributors like Reader's over time.
Regional players
- Boisset's Flooring America: Operates regional Flooring America franchise locations across Texas. Comparable to Reader's as a flooring channel participant, though franchise-retail rather than wholesale; both serve end-dealers/installers in overlapping Gulf Coast geographies.
Emerging players
- Floor & Decor Outlets of America: Specialty big-box flooring retailer serving both pros and consumers in multiple U.S. regions. Comparable to Reader's adjacent in flooring channel structure; could disintermediate traditional dealer wholesale relationships via direct-to-pro consumer channels.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Reader's Wholesale Distributors social profiles
Digital presenceReader's Wholesale Distributors financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Reader's Wholesale Distributors leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Reader's Wholesale Distributors funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Reader's Wholesale Distributors M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Reader's Wholesale Distributors
What does Reader's Wholesale Distributors do?
Reader's Wholesale Distributors is a wholesale distributor of residential and commercial flooring products, including hardwood, laminate, sheet vinyl, LVT (luxury vinyl tile), and installation supplies. The company serves more than 2,500 floor covering dealers across Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi through a regional cross-dock distribution network and a 24/7 e-commerce ordering portal.
Is Reader's Wholesale Distributors a public or private company?
Reader's Wholesale Distributors is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Reader's Wholesale Distributors founded?
Reader's Wholesale Distributors was founded in 1935. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Reader's Wholesale Distributors based?
Reader's Wholesale Distributors is headquartered in Houston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Reader's Wholesale Distributors make money?
One revenue line is on record: wholesale Flooring Distribution.
Who are Reader's Wholesale Distributors's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ABC Supply Co., Foundation Building Materials, L&W Supply, Lansing Building Products and SRS Distribution. Broad incumbents are Builders FirstSource, Mohawk Industries and Shaw Industries Group. Boisset's Flooring America is listed as a regional player. Floor & Decor Outlets of America is listed as an emerging player.
Does Reader's Wholesale Distributors have an API?
No public API is recorded for Reader's Wholesale Distributors.
What industry is Reader's Wholesale Distributors in?
Reader's Wholesale Distributors's product category is Wholesale Flooring Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAOAFAE, Flooring (Carpet, Tile, Wood, Laminate) Distribution. Its SIC code is 5030.