Rexel: Transforming Branch Marketing with PDS+

Rexel UK is a leading distributor of electrical supplies, serving businesses across the United Kingdom with a comprehensive range of products and solutions. Established in 1972, the company operates within the industrial machinery and equipment sector, supporting professionals in construction, facilities management, and energy solutions. Rexel UK combines deep industry expertise with innovative technologies to deliver efficient, sustainable, and customer-focused services.

Their offerings include electrical components, lighting, automation, and energy management systems — all backed by a commitment to quality, compliance, and continuous improvement. In 2016 Rexel completed the acquisition of electrical wholesaler Denmans. Though it continues to operate under the Denmans name it has become part of the Rexel group and brings their combined branches to 235.

With 235 combined branches requiring promotional materials on a continual basis, Rexel and Denmans’ in-house marketing department faced mounting pressure to manage a high volume of requests efficiently. Their existing systems for processing orders, managing resources, and procuring stock were struggling to keep pace with demand, leading to delays and inefficiencies.

Branch-level promotional support was also becoming increasingly fragmented. Counters — prime customer-facing areas — were cluttered with uncoordinated and unsolicited branded materials from various suppliers, resulting in inconsistent messaging and misalignment with
Rexel’s brand standards.

The marketing team lacked a single centralised tool to manage both their Rexel and Denmans customer reward promotions, making it difficult to deliver a consistent experience across branches.

Additionally, they found it challenging to access data that could help analyse marketing activity and determine which promotional products were most effective.

Rexel therefore sought a technology-driven solution that could:

• Integrate with their existing DAM system.
• Provide editable templates for seasonal campaigns and trade events.
• Introduce spend authorisation controls for budget compliance.
• Offer smart categorisation of assets for easy discovery.
• Combine stocked items with print-on-demand options for flexibility and sustainability.

PDS delivered a bespoke PDS+ technology solution tailored to Rexel’s needs, addressing both operational and strategic challenges.

To streamline promotional POS at branch level, PDS+ introduced a centralised platform that replaced cluttered counters with coordinated, brand-aligned materials. Branches now access a curated library of promotional assets, ensuring consistent messaging and visual standards across all locations.

The platform also provides a unified interface for managing customer reward promotions, allowing branches to fulfil incentive schemes professionally and efficiently.

Integrated dual-branded editable templates pull content directly from the client’s DAM system, ensuring all promotional outputs use official imagery, product descriptions, and pricing — maintaining brand integrity without manual input.

Seasonal marketing templates tied to key retail periods (e.g., Spring Offers, Christmas Specials) were designed and uploaded, giving branches timely, on-brand options they can deploy quickly. To support budget control, PDS+ includes built-in spend authorisation workflows, automatically routing high-value orders to area managers for approval.

Smart asset categorisation — such as Counter POS, Window Displays, and Seasonal Offers — makes it easy for branch staff to find what they need without training overhead. The system also supports both stocked items for fast turnaround and print-on-demand options for customisation and sustainability.

During implementation, PDS worked closely with Rexel’s marketing team to scope available items, audit existing stock, and migrate assets from incumbent suppliers. User access and permissions were configured, and a video-based “how to” guide was created to support onboarding and ongoing training.

With PDS+ in place, branches are empowered to process orders and edit artwork independently.

Pre-agreed stock levels ensure critical promotional resources are always available, while spend controls help manage costs and prevent waste.

The marketing team now has access to detailed usage data, enabling them to analyse engagement levels, identify proactive branches, and allocate resources more effectively. Monthly consolidated invoices provide a clear breakdown of orders per branch, simplifying financial oversight.

PDS also supported Rexel with the secure fulfilment of their new catalogue, including deliveries to remote-working staff. This required compliance with data protection standards, achieved through collaboration with Rexel’s legal advisors.