Middlemen and intermediaries are established concepts in the distribution channel
literature. Recent developments of practice make the use of the concept of middleman
problematic. For example, firms traditionally labelled as distributors are increasingly
involved in specifying design, materials, and production methods of products. The
ongoing restructuring of distribution has been characterised as a process blurring the
role of the respective actors. This paper argues that the problems with the concept rather
stem from the fact that “middleman” is used to describe actors whose roles vary a great
deal. The aim of the paper is to explore the characteristics of the different roles
middlemen can take in the market network.