50 years of professional distribution: an unfinished change

En 50 ans, la distribution professionnelle bâtiment s’est fortement concentrée. Un groupe domine : Saint-Gobain Distribution Bâtiment France. © Franck Follet

Professional distribution went from the counter where we are talking in the morning, with friends, online service with delivery on construction sites in less than 24 hours.She continues her transfer.

For 50 years, the world of building trading has been very strongly concentrated.The undisputed leader, Saint-Gobain Distribution Bâtiment France (SGDBF) has successively createdPoint P (1979), Cedeo (1991), Clim+ (1993), the building platform (1998) and Dispano (2009).

In 1998, the group acquired the Asturienne (frame and coverage), SFIC (insulation), then Isopar in 2003, Pum Plastiques in 2004 and finally Brossette in 2012. En 2018, SGDBF réalise un CA de l’ordre de 7 Milliards d’Euros et possède environ 2 200 points de vente, soit presque 4 fois plus que Descours & Cabaud, seconde enseigne de distribution bâtiment en France.

One of the consequences of concentration is that it becomes difficult for a new entrant to entering the market through distribution.If an industrialist wants to market in France a new brand of gas wall boiler or air/water heat pump, for example, he will find it difficult to interest distribution.

Each brand already markets sometimes more than a dozen different brands for these two types of generators and, clearly, does not want an eleventh, dreaming on the contrary to descend to 5 or 6 brands.

The economic weight of the sector

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In 2018, each of the first 14 building distribution brands achieved a turnover of more than 500 million euros, however, it is difficult to obtain a global view of the CA in this sector.

However, if we bring together several NAF/APE code: 4673A wholesale wood and building materials (including point. P), 4613Z Intermédiaires du commerce en bois et matériaux de construction (dont Bigmat France), 4673B Commerce de gros d’appareils sanitaires et de produits de décoration (dont Descours & Cabaud), 4674B Commerce de gros de fournitures pour la plomberie et le chauffage (dont Brossette, Richardson et Tereva) et 4674A Commerce de gros de quincaillerie (dont Wurth France), on parvient, pour 2011 dernière année disponible, à 13 332 entreprises, réalisant collectivement un CA de 52,3 milliards d’€ H.T.and employing 1,150 million people.It's considerable.

New constraints

Despite, or because of its importance, the world of building professional distribution is subject to multiple constraints.Some come from the law and regulations.For example, Law No. 2015-992 of August 17, 2015 on the energy transition for green growth provided that as from January 1, 2017, the points of sale of more than 3000 m² had the obligation to “resume waste fromof the same types of materials, products and construction equipment for professionals it sells ”.

Wholesalers, upwind against this arrangement, asked for developments (points of sale ≥ 10,000m²) and additional deadlines to adapt.The Council of State validated this system at the end of August 2018.It is now a question of creating an eco-tax to help the sector to finance collection and recycling of construction waste.

Delivering to D+1 implies very important logistical investments that all distributors will not be able to assume.Clim+, Saint-Gobain Brand Bâtiment France brand, retains its customers by being able to provide them tens of thousands of references of spare parts of air conditioners and heat pumps © PP

Amazon arrives

Other constraints come from the world of online commerce.Amazon launched in France in July 2018, its Amazon Business offer, intended for professionals.Amazon Business offers building materials billed directly by Amazon and delivered in J+1, but also constitutes a platform available to third-party suppliers.

The target is the craftsmen and small businesses that make around 65% of the building turnover in France.Point.P which deals with around 300,000 customers with less than 10 employees feels concerned and reacts. L’entreprise développe peu à peu ses «Point P Express » - 5000 références en stock, 15 000 de plus en J+1 – et en prévoit 150 en 2020.

Dans le même temps,Point. P, Saint-Gobain Distribution Bâtiment France et Saint-Gobain développent de nouveaux services en ligne : « Génération Artisans », une communauté d’artisans pourPoint.P, a concerted effort of Saint-Gobain and SGDBF to capture the work intentions of the end customer and orient it towards its points of sale and the loyal installers.

It is a question for them to exceed the stage of the sale of building materials and to develop new services to direct the end customer to professionals of the group's brands to retain them even more.

Pour fidéliser ses clients artisans,Point P a ouvert des show-rooms pour le client final.The craftsman comes there with his client to show them the solutions he recommends or the brand directs customers to the craftsmen who are loyal to him.© Thomas Leaud

Source: Batirama.Com / Pascal Poggi