Sonepar announces the sale of Vallen Asia, in the form of a Management Buy Out (MBO), to the Vallen Asia leadership team, consistent with the Group’s strategic decision to focus on its core business and ensure management continuity to the organization.
In 2023, Vallen Asia had revenues of around €90 million and employed 244 associates across Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and China. Vallen Asia joined the Sonepar Group as part of the Hagemeyer acquisition in 2008. Since that time, Vallen Asia has continued to develop as the market leader in ‘Integrated Supply’ across Asia.
The transaction closed on December 13th, at which time Vallen Asia is deconsolidated from the Sonepar Group. However, in order to support the Vallen Asia team, Sonepar will remain as a committed minority shareholder for the next 5 years.
“This strategic decision allows Sonepar to sharpen its focus on its core strengths and invest more deeply in areas where we see the greatest potential for growth. We are confident that this move will not only benefit our organization, but also provide Vallen Asia and its associates with the opportunity to thrive under new ownership, ” said Jean-Cyrille Verspieren, APAC President Sonepar.
Andrew Bennett, Country Manager Sonepar Singapore, who will be leaving the Group after 16 years leading Vallen Asia, commented, “It has been a unique and enormously enriching journey, both personally and collectively, to ‘grow up’ as part of the Sonepar family. Although our paths diverge at this point, the Sonepar DNA will be forever imprinted in Vallen Asia, an invaluable takeaway. The Vallen team is excited and fully committed as we enter the next stage of our evolution.”
About Sonepar
Sonepar is an independent family-owned company standing as the world leader in B-to-B distribution of electrical equipment, solutions, and services. In 2023, Sonepar achieved sales of €33.3 billion. Present in 40 countries with a dense network of brands, the Group is leading an ambitious transformation to make its customers’ lives easier providing them with an omnichannel experience and sustainable solutions in the building, industry, and energy markets. Sonepar’s 45,000 associates are committed to accelerating the world’s electrification and driven by a shared Purpose: Powering Progress for Future Generations.
