Company: GWW
Filing Date: 2025-03-07
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0001104659-25-021496
Chunk: 57

Company: W.W. GRAINGER, INC.
Filing Date: 2025-03-07
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 57
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 • Annually reviews and recommends appropriate comparator companies used for compensation studies; • Conducts or assists in risk reviews of the Company’s performance and incentive-based compensation programs; • Provides regular updates on executive compensation trends and regulatory developments; and • Undertakes special projects as assigned by the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee seeks advice from the independent compensation consultant on compensation trends and best practices, as well as in reviewing the Company’s programs and policies to ensure they are designed and operate to achieve their purposes and goals. The independent compensation consultant did not provide any additional services to the Company in 2024. How Annual NEO Compensation is Determined Each NEO’s compensation is compared to compensation provided to equivalent positions in a comparator group selected by the Compensation Committee (with assistance from the Committee’s independent compensation consultant, Pay Governance) and nationally recognized surveys. The Compensation Committee then considers a variety of reference points, including competitive compensation market data, individual and Company performance, the executive’s overall experience, replaceability, internal equity, unique skills and management’s recommendation (for NEOs other than the CEO) to determine appropriate compensation for each executive. All elements of compensation are valued and reviewed in evaluating the relative competitiveness of the Company’s compensation practices against the comparator group and published survey data.

| ​ | CORPORATEGOVERNANCE | ​ | ​ | PROPOSAL 1:ELECTION OFDIRECTORS | ​ | ​ | PROPOSAL 2:RATIFY THEINDEPENDENTAUDITOR | ​ | ​ | EXECUTIVECOMPENSATION | ​ | ​ | PROPOSAL 3:SAY ON PAY | ​ | ​ | PROPOSAL 4: APPROVALAND ADOPTION | ​ | ​ | QUESTIONS ANDANSWERS | ​ | ​ | APPENDICES | ​ |

TABLE OF CONTENTS

| ​ | invest.grainger.com | ​ | ​ | 45 | ​ | ​ | ● | ​ |

| ​ | Select Peers                                                                                                                                                                                                     | ​ | ​ | ​ | Analyze & Benchmark                                                                                                                                                                   | ​ | ​ | ​ | Final Assessment                                                                                                                                                                 | ​ |
| ​ | Review comparator companies to maintain a group of companies that are relatively similar in complexity and size to Grainger.                                                                                     
 Review nationally recognized survey data for comparably sized general industry companies to gain a broader perspective of market practice, as the pool for executive talent extends beyond the comparator group. | ​ | ​ | ​ | Analyze data from an executive compensation study that includes total compensation paid to comparator group executives and survey positions with similar duties and responsibilities