J&M Distributors opened its doors in 1999, originally located in Cabot, Arkansas. Expansion and growth of the business resulted in moving the company’s headquarters to Little Rock in the fall of 2015.
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Our beginnings were humble – we started out as a cigarette lighter supplier to chain convenience stores. We quickly realized the need for a more comprehensive program for other, popular products and integrated displays at the counter in most convenience stores. So we created a uniform plan that moved all the high-volume items – lighters, energy products, dietary supplements, and other popular products – together on a single rack by the store’s registers.
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We partnered with a major Dietary Supplement manufacturer which contributed to our growth. We were there when the first 2oz, energy shot was made and sold. We were involved in the launching of 5-hour Energy Shot. We put the first bottles of 5-Hour Energy in chains including Murphy USA, Speedway SuperAmerica, Thornton’s, among others. We also helped launch the 6-Hour Power 2 Pack in these large chains.
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The dietary supplement category continues to grow 20 years later. We established a niche years ago beginning with Stacker Ephedra Products in this category. We lived through the Ephedra Ban that ultimately ended up changing products to those that were “ephedra free.” Due to the change in certain products’ legal status, we’ve been sensitive to, and have stayed on top of, industry changes and how they affect our retail partners’ inventories. We’ve both experienced and guided them through industry changes, always with the goal of helping to increase their sales.
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Many of our retail partners have been with us for decades. Part of our success and growth comes from the fact that when category managers change companies, they take us with them. And that’s based solely on the trust we’ve built. Some category managers that have gone on to be CEO’s of major chains continue to rely on us – a fact that we take pride in.
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As the business evolves, and new products and services are available, we’re right there. We are always on the lookout for new opportunities for our retail partners and we do a thorough vetting of all our products before we agree to represent each new line. Again, this builds customer trust – something we’ve relied on for more than 20 years. Another example of how we protect our customers is that if a new product line doesn’t sell, we’ll take the product back and replace it with an alternative product that performs better for our retail partner. In summary, we know what sells and our experience is part of the value we bring to all of our customers.
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What sets us apart is that our customers are our partners. And we take excellent care of them.