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2015 Activity and Sustainable Development Report

2015 OVERVIEW AND OUTLOOK

actively implement a two-pronged M&A strategy aimed at expanding into new growth areas and adjacencies and strengthening its position in key markets.

PEOPLE AND PLANET The 21st United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Paris last December, and the numerous international, regional and local events in the 18 months leading up to it allowed Rexel to demonstrate its added value in promoting the large-scale adoption of energy efficiency, recognized as a critical lever in reducing CO2 emissions in the fight against climate change. Rexel continues to partner with like-minded companies and NGOs to drive progress in energy efficiency, including through the work of the Rexel Foundation for a better energy future. To date, 48 projects have been launched with a positive impact on the lives of more than 100,000 people living in 15 different countries. As previously reported, the Rexel Group is also a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact and is committed to incorporating its 10 key principles into its strategy and procedures, reporting on their implementation and promoting them to all of its partners. Rexel is also committed to ensuring continuous improvement, and wants to reaffirm its pledge to the Global Compact for the fifth consecutive year. Rexel recognizes that innovation is inextricably linked with delivering a positive impact on society and the environment. This is why the Group is convinced that the advances in energy efficiency, smart solutions for industrial and building automation and the digital empowerment of end-users to optimize their energy management will allow it to continue to generate growth opportunities for its customers and to fully leverage the equity of the Rexel, a world of energy brand promise for all its stakeholders. l

INNOVATION IN MARKETING, DIGITAL AND SUPPLY CHAIN Rexel s 2020 roadmap embraces innovation as a critical success factor along three vectors: in marketing, in digital and in supply chain. On the marketing front there are two major fields of focus, which confirm Rexel s commitment to customer-centric innovation. On the one hand, it is about investing in value-based pricing and project management systems and on the other hand, relates to the development of new value propositions, ranging from industrial automation and productivity solutions to the Rexel Energeasy applications in areas such as solar, energy storage or building automation (Energeasy Solar, Storage, Advisor). In the digital area, a comprehensive e-business platform is in place to support Rexel s digitally powered multi-channel business model, while new developments such as Rexel Digital Applications are providing contractors and installers with software-enabled tools to improve productivity. On the operational side, the Group now has a new IT and Logistics platform in place, providing a springboard to further optimize its back office and supply chain performance for better productivity and customer service.

TARGETED ACQUISITIONS External growth represents a key component of the Rexel 2020 strategy roadmap. In that respect, the recent acquisitions Rexel has made are illustrative for its targeted accretive acquisition policy. In France, the Group acquired Sofinther, a multienergy player and Cordia, a security specialist distributor, both of which are good examples of this focused approach. The acquisition of Brohl & Appell, an industrial automation distributor in the US, also fits the bill, as is the case for the acquisition of Maxqueen in China in the datacom and building automation area. Looking ahead, Rexel will