Why This Matters to Distributors: Rexel is acquiring a specialty wire and cable distributor with more than $1.1 billion in expected 2026 sales, expanding its presence in data centers, power and utility infrastructure, grid modernization and other markets driving electrical demand.
Rexel has agreed to acquire GCG from Audax Private Equity in a $1.4 billion deal that will add a major specialty wire, cable and connectivity distribution business to Rexel’s North American operations.
Chicago-based GCG is expected to generate more than $1.1 billion in revenue in 2026 and employs about 950 people across 16 locations globally. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.
GCG distributes specialty wire and cable, connectivity, power and engineered products for data centers, power and utility infrastructure, grid modernization, communications, defense and other markets.
The acquisition will give Rexel a larger position in several infrastructure markets experiencing increased electrical investment, particularly data centers and the power grid.
“Over the past several years, our team has transformed GCG into one of the leading platforms in our space serving some of the fastest-growing end markets in industrial distribution,” GCG CEO Glenn Pennycook said. “We’re excited about what the future holds as we embark on our next chapter as part of Rexel.”
The transaction also caps seven years of private equity ownership for GCG.
Audax acquired the business in 2019 through a carveout of Genuine Parts Co.’s Electrical Specialties Group. Audax later separated the operation into two independent companies, GCG and EIS. EIS was sold in 2024.
GCG completed 12 acquisitions under Audax ownership as it expanded its specialty wire and cable operations and built the corporate infrastructure to operate as an independent company. Audax said GCG has generated double-digit annual revenue growth since 2019.
GCG also narrowed its focus around its core specialty wire and cable business. In July, the company sold its Automation & Factory Solutions business to a strategic buyer.
The acquisition continues Rexel’s expansion in North America, where the Paris-based electrical distributor has used acquisitions to add scale and capabilities in electrical distribution, industrial automation and related markets.
In May, Rexel agreed to acquire Revere Electrical Supply, an Illinois-based electrical and industrial automation distributor with about $330 million in 2025 sales and 10 locations in Illinois and Wisconsin. Rexel said at the time that Revere represented its 16th North American acquisition since 2020.
The GCG transaction is considerably larger and adds more than $1 billion in annual revenue to Rexel’s North American distribution operations while increasing its exposure to data centers, utility infrastructure and grid investment.
Rexel generated €19.4 billion ($22.1 billion) in worldwide sales in 2025. The company operates 1,876 branches in 17 countries and employs more than 26,000 people.
For GCG, the sale marks another step in its transformation from a business within Genuine Parts into a stand-alone specialty distributor with more than $1 billion in annual sales.
The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.
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