Descours & Cabaud achieves a historic milestone in its international expansion strategy by acquiring a 50% stake in Hayley Group Limited in the United Kingdom
Thanks to this acquisition, Descours & Cabaud now covers 14 countries and thus enters the small circle of MRO B-to-B distributors able to operate over the entire European market.
Leader in wholesale distribution in France and a major player in Europe, Descours & Cabaud has acquired a 50% stake in Hayley Group, one of the leading MRO distributors in the UK.
This acquisition provides Descours & Cabaud with its first ever operation in the UK and is totally in line with the external growth strategy the Group launched two years ago.
Since 2014, Descours & Cabaud has greatly expanded its presence in Europe, particularly in the Netherlands with the integration of the companies Wiek de Laat Security, Kroon and Nomag; in Northern Italy where it has acquired CCRE; in Germany and Austria, where it acquired earlier this year the companies Rala and Steyr-Werner and most recently in Spain, with the companies Helios Dica and Bou.
In total, eight European companies have joined the Group in the last two years.
Hayley, a major player in the UK
Created in 1976, Hayley services all sectors of industry and has developed a great expertise in the Rail, food and beverage, aggregate & cement, utilities, agricultural and engineering sectors.
Hayley offers a comprehensive range of MRO products for industrial maintenance bearings, power transmission, sealing products, tools, personal protective equipment, and fluid power. Combined with value-added services such as assembly and repair facilities, to support its clients in their search for improvement in productivity and efficiency.
With 40 branches covering the whole country from Poole to Inverness, Hayley generated in 2016 a turnover of £114 million pounds sterling (135 million) with circa 600 employees.
For 40 years, we have fostered a culture of excellence, product expertise and a very high sense of customer service, declares Lee Willitts, Joint-Founder and Managing Director of Hayley.
The Hayley Group operates mainly in the UK with a small operation in the Czech Republic but has no operations in the French market.
A key step towards the establishment of a European leadership in industrial supplies
In markets that are in a process of rapid consolidation, Descours & Cabaud aims to establish itself as the European leader, especially for the distribution of MRO supplies and personal protection equipment.
With eight successive acquisitions in Europe over the past two years, Descours & Cabaud is now one of the few distributors able to provide services in the whole market and satisfy the growing demand of key accounts looking for an integrated transnational solution.
We are implementing a strategy of extremely selective external growth. Beyond profitability and complementary skills, we are looking for partnerships with entrepreneurs who share the same values of excellence, technical expertise and customer focus as our Group. We pay special attention to the culture of the company, its people and its core skills. The key objective is to pool our resources together to better serve our clients. Hayley fits perfectly these demanding criteria and will make a huge contribution to our European ambitions, concludes Alain Morvand, CEO of Descours & Cabaud.
*MRO = Maintenance, Repair and Operations
ABOUT DESCOURS & CABAUD
Wholesale distributor for industry and construction
With the largest offer on the market, Descours & Cabaud is in daily contact with its 450,000 customers in the building, industry and the public or private tertiary sectors.
The leading wholesale distributor in France and a major European player, Descours & Cabauds expertise has developed over the 234 years it has been in business. Descours & Cabaud has a turnover of 3 billion, with over 600 sales outlets worldwide, including 450 in France.
Descours & Cabaud offers its clients a broad and complete range of products: personal protection equipment, metallurgical products, products for building and public works, construction and fittings hardware, tooling, industrial supplies, components and maintenance products, as well as heating, sanitation and plumbing.
With its two European brands: Dexis, aimed at all sectors of industry, and Prolians, which targets professionals of the construction industry and local authorities, Descours & Cabaud is perfectly placed to be the privileged partner of its customers.
ABOUT DEXIS
Through Dexis, its MRO brand, Descours & Cabaud offers a range of technical products, advanced logistics and global buying solutions for industrial players operating on a European scale.
With the acquisition of Hayley, the Group now operates 167 branches under the Dexis brand, in ten European countries (Spain, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Italy and the United Kingdom).
