Forbes is reporting that Rexel Chairman Jean-Charles Pauze said in the electrical distributor’s second-quarter conference call that the company has 30 potential acquisitions in its sights, with total revenues of 1 billion euro.
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The list of potential acquisitions are weighted toward emerging markets.
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Thanks to acquisitions, Rexel’s second-quarter rose nearly 30% to US$3.73 billion (2.729 billion euros). Organic growth was 3.3%.
Sales in the first half of 2007 were up 30% to US$7.3 billion (5.3 billion euros). Organic growth was 4.5%.
Strong sales in Europe and Asia-Pacific more than offset the slowdown in North America,” Pauze said in a release.
By region:
- Asia-Pacific: Sales up 13.9% to 372.2 million euro in first half.
- Europe: Sales grow 9.1% to 2.5 billion euro in first half; sales up 7.7% in second quarter.
- North America: Sales fall 1.1% to US$3.4 billion (2.5 billion euro) in first half; sales down 1.7% in second quarter.
Sales in North America were impacted by the downturn in residential construction and non-residential related commercial segments. In Canada, Rexel saw a 2.3% sales growth, fueled by the mining and high-rise building markets in the West, as well as commercial and institutional market in Quebec.
*Currency translation to U.S. dollar  ; done by MDM based on exchange rates of Aug. 2, 2007.
