Sonepar’s chief executive Philippe Delpech has used a gathering of global suppliers in Paris to argue that the electrical wholesaler’s transformation is entering a new phase, with artificial intelligence, automation and closer data-sharing now expected to drive the next leg of growth.
Speaking in an exclusive Q&A with tED magazine, Delpech said the company had spent the past five years building the foundations of a more digital business, and now intended to convert that...
Continue Reading This Article
Enjoy this article as well as all of our content, including reports, news, tips and more.
By registering or signing into your SRM Today account, you agree to SRM Today's Terms of Use and consent to the processing of your personal information as described in our Privacy Policy.
investment into what he called enterprise intelligence at scale. He said Sonepar had already deployed AI tools to help forecast demand, optimise stock, tailor the customer experience and speed up quotations, allowing sales teams to focus more on advisory work.
The Paris summit brought together more than 300 executives from major suppliers, according to Sonepar’s own account of the event. Delpech said the meeting was designed to show how the company’s supply-chain overhaul, digital platform and automation programme have begun to reshape how it works with partners. He pointed to 45 automated central distribution centres and said the company’s omnichannel platform, Spark, is now operating in 12 countries. Digital sales, he said, have reached $13.8 billion, including almost $4 billion generated through Spark.
The company’s latest messaging suggests the scale of that ambition is increasing. In a separate announcement, Sonepar said Delpech unveiled a €500 million programme to expand its use of AI across the group. That sits alongside the nearly $4 billion Sonepar says it has already invested in supply-chain and digital transformation since 2021, including close to $3 billion in distribution-centre automation and around $1 billion in Spark.
Delpech framed the shift as more than a technology upgrade. In his view, the future of electrical distribution will depend on combining logistics, digital tools, data and technical expertise in a way that makes buying simpler and more efficient for customers. He said the company’s task now is to turn those capabilities into measurable value, while deepening coordination with suppliers to capture the opportunities created by electrification, the energy transition, infrastructure spending, modernisation and AI.
Sonepar has been emphasising that theme across its recent communications. A company report on the Paris summit described the event as both a supplier forum and a showcase for what it called the transformation experience, an immersive presentation organised around sustainability, supply-chain resilience, enterprise intelligence, omnichannel service and collaboration. The group said the installation was intended to show how its different investments fit together rather than as a series of isolated projects.
Among the figures highlighted by Delpech were the growing share of orders handled automatically. He said 68% of orders are now picked automatically, up from less than 50% in 2021, and suggested that figure could rise above 80% by 2030. The company is also looking further ahead to a model in which AI agents help conduct transactions through Spark, creating what Delpech described as a shared language between Sonepar and its suppliers.
That push for closer collaboration runs alongside a strong emphasis on long-term ownership. Delpech said the chairman of Colam Entreprendre, Sonepar’s holding company, reaffirmed the family’s commitment to the business and underlined the importance of keeping the company’s 700 family members and 46,000 associates engaged in its next stage of growth.
The company’s wider ambition is closely tied to the global electrification agenda. Delpech said opportunities are expanding across the energy transition, data centres, automation and grid modernisation, all of which are increasing demand for electrical products and services. He argued that Sonepar’s ability to serve those markets at scale will depend on resilient supply chains, trusted data and a more advanced digital operating model.
The United States remains central to that plan. Delpech said Sonepar is no longer just a distributor but increasingly a supply-chain, technology, data and services company. He pointed to the Americas as the group’s largest regional business, with sales of $19 billion across eight countries, accounting for 51% of group revenue. In the US alone, he said revenue has climbed from $6.7 billion in 2017 to more than $16.5 billion in 2025.
Sonepar’s US leadership has been making a similar case. In a recent interview with tED magazine, Rob Taylor, president of Sonepar Americas, pointed to the consolidation of five brands under Echo, expanding automation in distribution centres and more than $2 billion in online Digital Job Center sales. He also highlighted demand from data centres, industrial customers and utility projects as key supports for further growth.
Delpech said the US market offers especially strong long-term potential because of data-centre construction, industrial expansion, electrification and rising demand for sustainable power solutions. He added that efforts to strengthen and expand the power grid are opening further opportunities across the distribution ecosystem.
Sonepar says it is entering that period with a stronger platform than before, supported by its logistics network, digital systems, AI investments, inventory position and utility capabilities. Delpech said the company plans to continue through both organic investment and targeted acquisitions, with the goal of becoming the leading electrical distributor in the United States.
Source: Noah Wire Services
