Founded in 1969 by Henri Coisne and his brothers, it has grown steadily while retaining its original entrepreneurial values.
Over 50 years later, Sonepar’s independence remains a key strength in the Group’s strategy of sustainable, long-term growth. It continues to expand across the world, powered by the commitments of its family shareholders and by investing in the skills of its associates.
Sonepar is an independent family-owned company with global market leadership in B-to-B distribution of electrical products, solutions and related services.
Through a dense network of 80 brands spanning 40 countries, the Group has an ambitious transformation agenda to become the first global B-to-B electrical distributor to provide a fully digitalized and synchronized omnichannel experience to all customers.
Drawing on the skill and passion of its 44,000 associates, Sonepar had sales of €32.4 billion in 2022. Sonepar makes its customers’ lives easier, over the counter, visiting customers, by phone or online, – however we’re needed.
Group sales in 2023
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Sonepar is a leader in a vast and expanding global market.
As the digital revolution gathers pace and product technologies continue to advance, there’s an ever broader range of applications for electrical equipment and a growing need for new services.
The Group’s history, culture, and philosophy are all about solid, long-term values. These are the foundations of our corporate governance, where our family shareholders, executive committee, and employees work together to drive sustainable growth with a high value on compliance and integrity.
Discover Sonepar at a glance, its activities, key figures, worldwide presence and strategic plan.
Download PanoramaThe Sonepar Group is pursuing anambitious and challenging transformation. This is a response to both our customers’ needs and market developments.
Twenty years after we launched our previous identity, the Sonepar brand isactiveandsuccessfulin 16 countries. We operate inmany more countriesacross the world through other companies in the Group.
in November 2021, Sonepar launched a new brand identity and reaffirms its values to support the ambitious Group’s transformation. Far more than just a logo,our brand signifies who we are, how we behave, and what makes our business so distinct and unique.
Sonepar has built an undisputed leadership position in business-to-business electrical product distribution, systems, and services thanks to a unique combination of being family-owned, with a long-term horizon, best-in-class leadership, an engaged workforce and demanding corporate governance.
We serve customers around the world with a unique balance of global scale and local empower ment, making their lives and day-to-day operations easier. We invest in cutting-edge supply chain and digital, omni-channel technologies to deliver the highest standard of service to them.
People are essential to our business. We champion difference and diversity. Over-the-counter, online and side-by-side, we value relationships with customers, suppliers and every one of our Sonepar associates. Today, Sonepar is the world number one in sales of energy-efficient products, a leading pioneer of energy transition, making sustainability a priority.
We’re ambitious, driven by entrepreneurial spirit. Our expert advice is combined with more than fifty years of experience. We’re trusted to lead. We are fearlessly competitive, but never lose sigh t of the need to make a profit to invest in our future.
We strive for unity, not uniformity, synergy, not sameness and agile adaptability in the face of change. Operating with complete integrity, our business behavior and levels of responsibility set the highest standards.
These many differences make every one of us stronger.
We are Sonepar – Powered by Difference.
Our Group operates at the heart of a global market -and with major potential for expansion. There is an increasingly broad range of applications for electrical equipment, product technology evolving. Meanwhile, there is a growing need for new services.
Our DNA is unique. A balance between local initiative and global operations underlies our business growth.
We leave it up to the men and women working at our operating companies to respond to customer needs, because they have thorough knowledge of their markets. Shared local initiative leads to global success. Strategic global policies validated by all are implemented to enhance our operational excellence and serve our customers more effectively.
Starting from 1991, Sonepar has set up several international committees. They bring together managers from various countries and experts in such areas as IT, logistics, finance, legal, compliance and human resources. The committees report information from local entities to senior management and share expertise and good practices as a means to develop and disseminate concrete solutions faster and more efficiently. Marketing teams network internationally to improve the management of product segments, innovations and market opportunities. Those networks communicate and pool their experience.
Created in 1991, the SJC (Sonepar Junior Committee) brings together executives under age of 40 who are assigned the task of going deeper into strategic issues assigned to them by the Group’s Executive Leadership.
Since its inception in 1969, Sonepar's family shareholders, through the family holding company Colam Entreprendre, which is the majority shareholder, have provided strong and constant support for the Group's long-term growth strategy.
The shareholders grouped together in the family holding company, Colam Entreprendre, have strongly and consistently support Sonepar’s lasting growth strategy from the outset. Their close ties to the Group and its executives have fostered mutual trust and helped make Sonepar’s values A Living Reality
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Development of employee shareholding
Sharing the fruits of value creation with the Group's employees has been an integral part of Sonepar's philosophy since its creation. Employee shareholding is organized through a dedicated company and is strictly supervised.
The Shareholders’ Meeting meets every year and provides a forum for discussion between shareholders and the executive committee.
Among other things, it approves the annual financial statements, decides on the allocation of income and the distribution of dividends, and appoints the members of the Corporate Board and the Statutory Auditors.
It is an essential meeting point, during which the Group's results and strategic directions are presented.
We encourage concrete actions that support the reduction of environmental impact and respect for people.
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Complying with legal and regulatory requirements is a challenge we meet in all countries where we operate.
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Sonepar in China is a key national player in B-to-B distribution of electrical products, solutions and related services.
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