In Canada: Franklin Empire Buys Electra

Aug. 10, 2012
Franklin Empire Inc., Montreal, has acquired all the operations of Electra Supply, Cambridge, Ontario.

Franklin Empire Inc., Montreal, has acquired all the operations of Electra Supply, Cambridge, Ontario. The acquisition includes the Electra Supply’s branches in London and Windsor, Ontario, in addition to the company’s headquarters location in Cambridge.

A report in Ontario’s Waterloo Record said Electra Supply was founded in 1983 by Jack Eva, and today has approximately 30 employees. In the same press release announcing the acquisition, Franklin Electric said it had been appointed as the exclusive distributor of Siemens Automation and Control products for southwestern Ontario.

The 70-year-old, family-owned Franklin Empire has 12 branches in Quebec and eight in Ontario, including the Electra Supply locations. The company is a member of Affiliated Distributors and was ranked #161 on Electrical Wholesaling’s most recent ranking of the 200 largest distributors in North America. According to its website, the company has more than 400 employees, $25 million in inventory and 10% market share in the Quebec market.

Not unlike the United States, Canada has also seen its share of acquisitions over the past few years. In 2011-2012, WESCO Distribution Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa., acquired Trydor Industries, Surrey, British Columbia, and Brews Supply, Calgary, Alberta; Sonepar SA, Paris, acquired Dixon Electric, Sudbury, Ontario, and SECSO/QUESCO, Toronto, Ontario; and Rexel SA, Paris, acquire Liteco, Fredericton, New Brunswick.