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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. , May 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Interline Brands, Inc. (NYSE: IBI) ("Interline" or the "Company"), a leading distributor and direct marketer of maintenance, repair and operations products, reported sales and earnings for the quarter ended March 28, 2008 . Sales for the first quarter of 2008 decreased 2.1% over the comparable 2007 period. Earnings per diluted share were $0.27 for the first quarter of 2008, a decrease of 7% over earnings per diluted share of $0.29 in the same period last year.

Michael Grebe , Interline's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "The current market environment has proven to be one of the more challenging in recent memory. While the first two months of the year were consistent with our initial expectations, revenues in March took an unexpected downturn in all three of our major end-markets. April results have improved, but market visibility still remains at a very low level. While we take steps to prudently manage the business in light of the current economic environment, we are steadfast in our commitment to managing the business for the long term. Our business model remains strong and we continue to execute on the fundamentals as well as numerous initiatives to restore growth."

First Quarter 2008 Performance

Sales for the quarter ended March 28, 2008 were $289.1 million, a 2.1% decrease over sales of $295.4 million in the comparable 2007 period. Interline's facilities maintenance market, which comprised 68% of sales, grew 4.5% during the first quarter on an average daily sales basis. This growth was offset by continued weakness in the pro contractor and specialty distributor end-markets. The pro contractor end-market, which comprised 20% of sales, declined 15.2% in the quarter. The specialty distributor end-market, which comprised 12% of sales, declined 12.6% for the quarter.

"First quarter results in our core end-markets were mixed. The multi-family market, which represents one-third of our overall revenue, remained relatively strong while the institutional facilities market began to soften late in the first quarter. Our pro contractor end-market remained weak as residential construction and remodeling activity continued to decline in the quarter. However, our national accounts and supply chain initiatives continued to score gains during the quarter, and we remain optimistic about the long-term prospects for our business," said William Sanford , President and Chief Operating Officer.

Gross profit decreased $2.2 million to $110.1 million for the first quarter of 2008. As a percentage of net sales, gross profit was 38.1 percent, a 10 basis point improvement compared to the first quarter of 2007.