Premier Farnell
Encyclopedia
Premier Farnell plc is a leading British
distributor of electronic
components supporting millions of engineers and purchasing professionals globally. Premier Farnell markets and distributes a comprehensive range of products and services throughout Europe, North America and Asia Pacific with operations in 24 countries and trading in over 100. Premier Farnell is listed on the London Stock Exchange
and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index
.
The group are part of the FTSE4Good Index
of Corporate and Social Responsibility and are also a Gold status member participating in the Business in The Community (BiTC) Corporate Responsibility Index - a group of over 800 UK companies who are committed to having a positive impact on the environment and society.
under the name of A.C. Farnell Limited. It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange
in 1966.
In 1995 it acquired Combined Precision Components. As it focused on distribution, its manufacturing operations were sold the same year. In 1996 it went on to buy the Premier Industrial Corporation, a leading US
distributor, and in doing so changed its name to Premier Farnell.
In 2001 Premier Farnell went on to acquire Buck & Hickman
, a company which it subsequently went on to sell in 2007. Premier Farnell announced in 2006 the completed sale of Kent, its specialist automotive consumables business.
In 2007 the group launched its Greater China business, Premier Electronics, with the opening of a new warehouse and distribution centre in WaiGaoQia.
Towards the end of 2008 Premier Farnell began the closure of Cadillac Electric (part of the group's Industrial Products Division). During the course of 2008 Premier Farnell also acquired Hynetic Electronics, an India
n distributor, and in early 2009 Premier Farnell went on to acquire 'Microdis Electronics', an electronics distributor based in Poland.
On 24 September 2009 they announced the acquisition of CadSoft Computer GmbH, developer of EAGLE
electronic design automation
software.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
distributor of electronic
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
components supporting millions of engineers and purchasing professionals globally. Premier Farnell markets and distributes a comprehensive range of products and services throughout Europe, North America and Asia Pacific with operations in 24 countries and trading in over 100. Premier Farnell is listed on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index
FTSE 250 Index
The FTSE 250 Index is a capitalisation-weighted index consisting of the 101st to the 350th largest companies on the London Stock Exchange. Promotions to and demotions from the index take place quarterly in March, June, September and December...
.
The group are part of the FTSE4Good Index
FTSE4Good Index
The FTSE4Good Index series is a series of ethical investment stock market indices launched in 2001 by the FTSE Group. A number of stock market indices are available, for example covering UK shares, US shares, European markets, and Japan, with inclusion based on a range of corporate social...
of Corporate and Social Responsibility and are also a Gold status member participating in the Business in The Community (BiTC) Corporate Responsibility Index - a group of over 800 UK companies who are committed to having a positive impact on the environment and society.
History
The company was founded by Alan Farnell and Arthur Woffenden in 1939 in LeedsLeeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
under the name of A.C. Farnell Limited. It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
in 1966.
In 1995 it acquired Combined Precision Components. As it focused on distribution, its manufacturing operations were sold the same year. In 1996 it went on to buy the Premier Industrial Corporation, a leading US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
distributor, and in doing so changed its name to Premier Farnell.
In 2001 Premier Farnell went on to acquire Buck & Hickman
Buck & Hickman
Buck & Hickman is the UK's leading distributor of tools, maintenance and health & safety products. Established and continuously trading for almost 180 years, they were the first major tools distributor to be established in the UK...
, a company which it subsequently went on to sell in 2007. Premier Farnell announced in 2006 the completed sale of Kent, its specialist automotive consumables business.
In 2007 the group launched its Greater China business, Premier Electronics, with the opening of a new warehouse and distribution centre in WaiGaoQia.
Towards the end of 2008 Premier Farnell began the closure of Cadillac Electric (part of the group's Industrial Products Division). During the course of 2008 Premier Farnell also acquired Hynetic Electronics, an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n distributor, and in early 2009 Premier Farnell went on to acquire 'Microdis Electronics', an electronics distributor based in Poland.
On 24 September 2009 they announced the acquisition of CadSoft Computer GmbH, developer of EAGLE
Eagle (program)
EAGLE by Cadsoft is a flexible and expandable EDA schematic capture, PCB layout, autorouter and CAM program widely used since 1988.- Schematic capture :...
electronic design automation
Electronic design automation
Electronic design automation is a category of software tools for designing electronic systems such as printed circuit boards and integrated circuits...
software.
Operations
The Premier Farnell group trades globally under the following company names:- FarnellFarnell (company)Farnell is a trading name of Premier Farnell, a distributor of electronic components. It was once a significant manufacturer of electronic laboratory and bench equipment, through its subsidiary Farnell Technology but divested itself of manufacturing in 1995...
in the UKUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... - Newark Electronics in the USUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of... - MCM ElectronicsMCM ElectronicsMCM Electronics is a broad line distributor of electronic components, equipment and accessories for the consumer electronics industry. MCM's products include: computer hardware and peripherals, security and surveillance, wire and cable, audio and video equipment, tools, test equipment and more...
in the USUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - Premier Electronics in ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour... - Farnell-Newark in SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Malaysia, and BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people... - Combined Precision Components (CPC) in the UK
- Akron Brass, North America
- TPC Wire and Cable, North America
Awards
Premier Farnell has been awarded various awards in business :- The Times Top 50 Where Women Want to Work (2008) - Premier Farnell has been recognised as one of the top 50 places Where Women Want to Work in the UK.
- CorpComms Awards (2007) - Winners of the CorpComms Award for the Best use of new media as part of a communications strategy.
- IR Society Award (2008) for Best practice communication through annual report (printed and online) FTSE 250