GE Supply, Shelton, Conn., one of the largest electrical distributors in the United States until its acquisition last year by Rexel, Dallas, will now be known as Gexpro. The company will operate as an independent subsidiary of Rexel.
Rexel acquired GE Supply from the General Electric Co. in August 2006.
The new brand was announced to employees May 4 and was formally unveiled to the electrical industry at the national conference of the National Association of Electrical Distributors in Washington, D.C., on May 6.
According to Jeff Schaper, president and CEO of the $2.7 billion company, GE Supply looked at more than 900 names before arriving at the Gexpro name. “We are excited by the opportunity to establish the Gexpro name,” he said.
GE Supply’s roots go back 100 years; it had operated under the GE Supply name for approximately 80 years.
Gexpro and its subsidiaries employ more than 2,500 people in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and China. The company will continue to do business as Kellihers Electrical in Ireland. The new Gexpro name will be phased in at all 170 Gexpro locations throughout 2007. The company sells products from more than 200 electrical manufacturers.
Rexel is the world’s largest electrical distributor. The group operates in 27 countries with a network of 1,930 branches. It employs 25,300 people. Rexel’s international sales were $12.6 billion in 2006; its North American sales were about $5.2 billion. Its majority shareholders are an investor group led by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, Eurazeo and Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity. With its 2006 acquisition of GE Supply, Rexel added 150 locations and almost doubled its U.S. sales.