Affiliated Distributors (AD), North America’s largest wholesale marketing/buying group announced today that it has entered into a letter of intent to merge with Canadian electrical buying group, Independent Electrical Distributors (IED). The merger significantly strengthens the market position of electrical independents in Canada and commands 23% of the total market.
“AD’s model has always attracted market leaders and quality distributors,” said Bill Weisberg, AD’s chairman and CEO. “The merger with IED will strengthen the entire AD group and we are excited to welcome these great companies and people to the AD family.”
According to AD’s President of the Electrical Divisions, David Oldfather, “The synergy between the two groups is a natural fit as former IED members will have the opportunity to take advantage of increased earnings, cost reductions, access to AD’s financial tools, new marketing programs, best in class networking, and North American relationships.”
Jim Milne, current president of IED, will manage the newly combined Canadian group as AD’s president of the Canadian division, reporting to Oldfather.
“We’ve always had a great deal of respect for the AD Canada distributors and now that we have the opportunity to join into a single entity, the collective strength of this group will allow even further market penetration and growth beyond what would be possible by the two separate groups. As IED, we also bring to the group a long-standing, successful Customer Rewards Program, a well-known differentiator in the contractor community, and a proven way to gain and retain mindshare,” Milne said.
AD’s Canadian Electrical Division, was formed in 1992 by a merger with Copel, a leading Canadian electrical group and currently includes 16 distributors, representing 143 branch locations with a sales volume of approximately $750 million.
The roots of IED go back to 1965. IED [less EECOL, whose volumes will remain part of IED through 2013] is currently comprised of 36 companies with 90 branch locations and a reported volume of approximately $800 million, for a combined volume total for AD/IED of over $1.5B in Canada. AD’s total electrical sales in North America are more than $13 billion.
Affiliated Distributors 450 plus independently owned members span seven industries (electrical, industrial, plumbing, pipe valve and fittings, HVAC, Clean Energy and Drywall) with annual sales in excess of $20 billion.
Tagged with tED