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elektroSkANDiA celeBrAteS
100 yeArS reXel FinlAnD
elektroskandia celebrates
100 years with the
creation of rexel finland
elektroskandia, Finland’s
second largest electrical
wholesaler, has a
history in the country
stretching back 100
years. today, it is part of
the rexel corporation,
a French listed company
headquartered in paris.
rexel, the global electrical
wholesaler, has more than 40 sub-brands across the world, unified
by a new strategy called ‘energy in motion’, a drive towards more
energy-saving solutions. We talked with tutu Wegelius-lehtonen,
director, marketing and Business development of elektroskandia
Finland, to find out more.
our suppliers. As we move to become a more international marketing
oriented organisation, our sales people can visit customers more, also
allowing us to bring the message of our partners.”
challenging the numBer one
for Wegelius-lehtonen, the name change is also an important sign
of growth. “We are number two in the market, and as the challenger
we have the flexibility to be daring,” she says. “We will retain the local
strengths and relationships that we had as elektroskandia. We will build
on this, offering the strong foundations of our 100-year presence here
in finland, with a new cross-border reach from our parent company,
coupled with the innovations of a powerful communications platform.
it means more effective, efficient and profitable growth for us as a
company, and for our partners and suppliers in the market here in
finland and beyond.”
Wegelius-lehtonen joined the company 18 months ago, and
is responsible for branding, e-commerce, channel and product
management, as well as supplier relationships. her most recent task?
“We are soon rebranding our business by adopting the rexel name,”
she explains. “in September elektroskandia finland will become rexel
finland, joining rexel’s centralised platform, and benefiting from the
international cross-border reach of our parent company.” for customers,
this new approach is a win-win situation. “for suppliers too,” says
Wegelius-lehtonen. “of course customers come first, which is why we
are launching a new e-catalogue, with direct access to more than 50,000
products, including pictures, specs, installation details, everything: it
means that installers can directly print any product details and include
them in a quote for the end user. this move is a real benefit for our
customers. our suppliers, like lVi, benefit as a direct result. the increased
information flow means we become ambassadors, messengers for
Around 60% of rexel finland’s customers are electrical contractors, and
being able to reach this audience is a massive opportunity for lVi, as Joni
Grönqvist, Sales Manager lVi finland explains. “We work closely with
elektroskandia / rexel finland, and have done for more than 20 years.
our marketing is allied to theirs, so for instance our recent campaign
about 20% energy saving with our oil-filled electric radiators, is being
carried on their website and in their branches. elektroskandia was the
first wholesaler in finland to carry lVi products, which today account for
around half our sales volume in the country, where we have around 15%
market share. our reach has been extended by the expanded network of
rexel, and we look forward to a long and continued partnership.”
“Wehavethe
flexibilityto
bedaring”
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