These acquisitions established United Westburne as a major nationwide distributor of electrical, electronics and telecommunications products to the commercial and industrial market sectors. Commencing in 1986, Westburne added refrigeration, air conditioning and ventilation supplies to its product line through a series of acquisitions of Canadian companies involved in these areas in Canada and the United States.
In 1995, United Westburne changed its name to Westburne Inc. and continued to expand in Canada and the United States by completing various acquisitions that added 81 branches to its existing network. In forty years, Westburne has become the largest North American wholesaler and integrated distributor of construction, industrial and commercial supplies.
On September 25, 2000 Rexel SA, a world leader in the distribution of electrical supplies with a presence on 4 continents and in more than 30 countries entered the Canadian market by completing the acquisition of all the shares of Westburne Inc. Thus Rexel Canada was born.
Recently, Rexel Canada acquired Wesco Utility and renamed it Rexel Utility. Rexel Utility is the distributor of choice for investor-owned utilities (IOUs), public power municipalities, rural electrification associations (REA’s) and contractors seeking solutions for transmission, distribution and substation projects.