Our marketplace

The road ahead? Sustainable growth

We operate in a large and fragmented industrial market. Most of our competitors are independent businesses and regional firms with a local focus – specialists with narrow product offerings, limited service solutions and less developed digital capabilities.

We’re different. In this market, we’re one of a few global distributors of maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products and service solutions tailored for industrial customers’ needs. Our worldwide reach, broad product range, innovative service solutions and digital capabilities place us in a unique position to differentiate and disrupt.

How big is the market?

The distributor total addressable market in global MRO and safety and protection is big. Our estimate: over £470 billion. And typically growing at gross domestic product (GDP).

Today, our market share globally is less than 1%. Even in our most mature market, the UK, we have a market share of under 5%. We don’t just see the opportunities – we’re ready to seize them.

One goal we know is within reach: continuing to grow market share across all our regions. We’re here to outperform the market and increase our share of customer wallet– by both selling more to existing customers and acquiring new ones.

How? By being the essential link between suppliers and industrial customers who buy many different products in small volumes to maintain, repair and operate their businesses. Our deep technical and industry expertise. Our understanding of customers’ needs. Our exhaustive range of product and service solutions. Our fast and responsive customer service. We bring all these strengths together to make our customers’ lives easier, keep their businesses running smoothly and sustainably – and save them time and money along the way.

Trends shaping our market

Our B2B customers are expecting a personalised, seamless experience – both online and offline. Our suppliers are looking for a partner that understands their products, that they can work with to bring their products to market successfully.

Our strategic response

Enabling a solution offering that’s more digitally led, data-driven and customer focused, building on our core strengths, helping us move up the value chain with both customers and suppliers.
Investing even more in our supply chain networks and distribution infrastructure to increase capacity and local sourcing capabilities.
Developing our digital platforms to make it easier for our customers to do business with us and control their spend.

Offering solutions is a key differentiator for any organisation. Our customers are increasingly expecting solutions to solve their immediate problems and predict problems before they happen.

Our strategic response

Shifting our global focus towards MRO to exploit fully our digital channels, increasing our inventory offer and leveraging our global presence.
Developing our digitally led solutions offering.
Targeting specific industry verticals with service solutions that resonate with our customers' needs.

Our customers are seeking to simplify their supplier base, leverage spend and realise greater value. Why? Because receiving products and services from one provider saves them time and money.

Our strategic response

Maintaining our unique broad offering of readily available products for industrial customers.
Deepening our core industrial product category of automation and control and related product categories to enable industrial electrification.
Continuing to develop our new product introduction capabilities to develop further a curated, expanded product range and elevate the specialist product ranges of our acquired businesses.

The pace of market consolidation has increased two-fold over the past ten years, driven by globalisation and digitalisation. This will accelerate scale and efficiencies.

Our strategic response

Maintaining a strong balance sheet, fortifying our position to drive consolidation.
Setting clear and disciplined criteria to focus on potential acquisitions – expanding our service solution capabilities, new or adjacent product ranges, geographic opportunities and operational excellence.
Strengthening our corporate development and integration teams to vitalise our pipeline of potential acquisitions and integration.

ESG is a rising priority for all our stakeholders. We’re seeing a growing focus on more sustainable products, distribution and service solutions, responsible supply chain practices and an inclusive culture.

Our strategic response

A robust 2030 ESG action plan with four global goals to achieve by 2030.
Our Better World products claims-based framework – a clear and robust industry precedent, enabling our customers to purchase sustainable and responsible products they can trust.