Investment in eCommerce, new products and engineering support reaps reward for RS
Oxford, UK, 5 December 2016 - RS Components (RS), the trading brand of Electrocomponents plc (LSE:ECM), the global distributor for engineers, has been named 'Distributor of the Year 2016' at the 14th annual Elektra Awards. The awards are an established feature of the European electronics industry calendar, celebrating the achievements of individuals and companies across Europe in key areas such as innovation, sales growth and employee motivation. An independent panel of judges from around the industry selected RS as category winner citing significant achievements in the company’s financial performance, product range, engineering support, and eCommerce investment.
Over the twelve months to July 2016, RS delivered substantial sales growth for its electronics range across Europe, and impressive double-digit growth in semiconductor sales across the region. More than 60,000 new products and technologies were introduced to the range including the latest Raspberry Pi 3, USB-C and LoRaWAN.
The continued development of free online tools and resources via the DesignSpark platform was also a significant factor in the company’s success, bringing increased engagement with the engineering community and establishing RS as the distributor of choice for engineering and purchasing professionals in the electronics space and beyond.
"This award from industry peers signals to the market that RS is succeeding in delivering strong growth across the electronics sector," said Lindsley Ruth, CEO of Electrocomponents. "Customer satisfaction is our biggest priority, and with more than 65% of RS sales now done online, investment in our digital offer is an absolute must to inspire engineering innovation through quick and easy access to the latest products, technologies and support online."
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About RS Components
RS Components and Allied Electronics are the trading brands of Electrocomponents plc, the global distributor for engineers. With operations in 32 countries, we offer more than 500,000 products through the internet, catalogues and at trade counters to over one million customers, shipping more than 44,000 parcels a day. Our products, sourced from 2,500 leading suppliers, include electronic components, electrical, automation and control, and test and measurement equipment, and engineering tools and consumables.
Electrocomponents is listed on the London Stock Exchange and in the last financial year ended 31 March 2016 had revenues of £1.29bn.