Industrial Supplies Distribution: Sell Your Products in France

Industrial supplies distribution is the most technical of the five networks covered by Go Distribution: thick catalogues, demanding buyers and long listing cycles. If you manufacture PPE, tools, fixings or consumables and you are targeting Setin, Foussier, Legallais, Trenois Decamps, Prolians or the independents, this channel cannot be won in three visits. It has to be worked over the long term — exactly what our sales agency has been doing since 1994.

A demanding channel: technical catalogues and long cycles

In industrial supplies, entry is won first and foremost in the catalogue. Distributors publish generalist and specialist volumes that structure their entire offering: Trenois Decamps, for example, relies on generalist and specialist catalogues covering hardware, industry, PPE and welding. Miss a listing window and you will often be waiting for the next edition.

Another particularity: you are not selling to a shop, but to a complete sales organisation. Each branch combines a trade counter, telesales and travelling technical sales reps. Your range will only sell through if these teams know it, understand it and can champion it to the end user.

Setin, Foussier, Legallais, Prolians: highly structured networks

The French landscape is dominated by powerful, well-organised players. The three family-owned mid-sized companies Legallais, Trenois and Sétin have been grouped together within LTS since January 2021, serving a customer base of tradespeople, construction firms, maintenance departments and industrial companies. Their multichannel strategy is a reality: e-commerce already exceeds 20% of sales, backed by a network of more than 125 branches.

For its part, Foussier has more than 1,600 employees and over 80 stores, while Trenois Decamps is structuring its approach to industrial customers with a dedicated team deployed nationwide. In practical terms, for you as a manufacturer, this means:

• deep product line-ups — more than 30,000 SKUs in industrial supplies and professional hardware at Setin — in which your range has to earn its place;
• multiple points of contact: central buyers, branch managers, internal sales staff, field reps;
• a fabric of regional independents that remains essential in the South.

Our method for selling in industrial supplies

Go Distribution operates as an outsourced sales force, on the principle detailed in our article why outsource your sales force. On this channel, our work follows three strands:

• Listing: presenting your ranges to buyers, building the technical sales pitch, pricing positioning, aligning with catalogue cycles;
• Product training: sessions for the distributor’s internal and field sales teams, because a sales rep who cannot explain your product will not sell it;
• Long-term follow-up: regular branch visits, keeping teams engaged, feeding market intelligence back from the field and reporting to your sales management.

We already represent manufacturers of PPE, fixings and cutting tools on this circuit — see our represented brands. This product credibility makes it easier to open doors for a new range.

30 years of continuous presence on the channel

Industrial supplies reward consistency, not fleeting visits. Since 1994, our 6 sales agents have been criss-crossing 31 departments, from Bayonne to Marseille, covering around 1,700 points of sale across all channels. Branch managers and buyers know us: it is this relationship capital that you activate when you sign an exclusive distribution agreement.

This channel also complements distribution through hardware stores: the same product families, different contacts. We build a coherent coverage of both circuits with you, without any conflict between distributors.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to get listed in industrial supplies?

Allow generally 6 to 18 months between first contact and the first regular orders, depending on each retailer’s catalogue cycles and range reviews. It is a long-haul channel: post-listing follow-up matters as much as the initial signature.

Do you work exclusively with the major national networks?

No. We visit the branches of the structured networks as well as regional independent industrial suppliers, who have a strong presence in the South of France. The two complement each other in building your volume and your brand awareness.

Why is training the distributor’s teams so important?

Because it is the distributor’s internal and field sales reps who sell your product to the end user. A range that is listed but poorly understood by the teams stays in the catalogue without generating any sell-through.

What types of products do you place on this channel?

Mainly PPE, tools, fixings, cutting tools and workshop consumables. If your range targets tradespeople, maintenance departments or industrial companies, it has a place on this circuit.

What geographical area do you cover?

We cover 31 departments in the South of France, across the PACA, Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine regions, from Bayonne to Marseille. Our 6 agents divide this territory into sectors to guarantee a regular visit frequency.

Selling in industrial supplies requires technical expertise, patience and a field presence that few manufacturers can sustain on their own from head office. Entrust this work to a team that has been working this channel for 30 years: let’s talk about your ranges and your objectives.