Get Listed with French Builders’ Merchants | Go Distribution

Distribution through builders’ merchants is unlike any other channel: here, everything happens at the trade counter, branch by branch, in front of tradespeople who buy fast and come back every week. For a manufacturer of building products or tools, getting listed with Gedimat, Tout Faire, Chausson Matériaux, BigMat or Point.P demands a constant field presence. That is exactly what Go Distribution has been delivering for its principals since 1994, across 31 départements in the South of France.

Builders’ merchants: a channel in its own right

The merchant’s end customer is a professional: bricklayer, roofer, drylining contractor, joiner. They buy at the counter or in the builders’ yard, often in the morning before heading to site, and they expect an immediate answer on availability and price. A product missing from the depot on the day is a product replaced by the competitor’s.

Another key feature: the purchasing decision is largely decentralised. Even in networks organised as buying groups, the branch manager keeps real latitude over their sales plan, stock and promotions. A national agreement with no local follow-through remains a theoretical agreement.

Gedimat, Tout Faire, Chausson Matériaux, BigMat, Point.P: powerful, demanding networks

Merchant networks represent an extensive footprint across France. Gedimat and Gedibois bring together around 490 outlets within the Gedex cooperative group, while BigMat claims 329 outlets and more than 3,400 employees. For its part, Chausson Matériaux operates more than 470 branches, the Toulouse-based group having risen to become one of the very top building materials distributors on the French market, behind Point.P (Saint-Gobain group).

For a manufacturer, each banner works to a different logic:

• Groups of independents (Gedimat, Tout Faire, BigMat): each member decides for their own branches, so the local relationship comes first;
• Integrated merchants (Point.P, Chausson Matériaux): a stronger national framework, but execution has to be driven branch by branch;
• In both cases, the counter salesperson remains the key influencer with the tradesperson.

Our method: the branch-by-branch relationship

Go Distribution works the merchant channel the way it should be worked: in the field, on regular call cycles. Our agents know the branch managers, self-service managers and counter staff in their patch, often going back years. This closeness turns a listing into real sales.

In practical terms, for your range, we handle:

• presenting your products to branch managers and taking orders;
• training counter staff on your technical selling points, because a salesperson who understands your product recommends it to the tradesperson;
• monitoring stock, in-store layouts and self-service promotions;
• in-branch events and product demonstrations;
• regular reporting and competitive intelligence on your category.

This approach applies to fixings, tools, builders’ hardware and PPE — product families our agents champion day in, day out for brands such as SPIT and Difac. Discover all of the brands we represent.

30 years in the field, 31 départements, around 1,700 outlets

Founded in 1994, our sales agency covers 31 départements, from Bayonne to Marseille, across the PACA, Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine regions. Six multi-line sales agents and an administrative assistant look after around 1,700 outlets, including the main builders’ merchant branches in the South of France.

We work under an exclusive distribution mandate: you entrust us with your range across our territory, and we champion it as if it were our own. And if your product also belongs with Setin, Foussier or Legallais, we also cover the industrial supplies channel, which complements the merchant network.

Frequently asked questions

How do you get listed with Gedimat or Tout Faire?

These banners are groups of independents: a central listing opens the door, but each member chooses what they put in stock. You therefore have to win over the branches one by one, which requires a locally present sales force.

Why use a sales agent rather than hiring your own rep?

A multi-line agent already knows the branch managers in their patch and works on commission, with no fixed costs for you. You are up and running within a few weeks on a territory that a salaried rep would take years to build.

What types of products do you place with builders’ merchants?

Mainly tools, fixings, builders’ hardware, storage and PPE. These are the product families our agents present every week at the trade counters and self-service areas of merchants across the South of France.

Do you really train counter staff?

Yes, it is a cornerstone of our method. Counter staff advise tradespeople directly: if they master your technical selling points, your product becomes their natural recommendation.

Which geographical area do you cover?

31 départements in the South of France, from Bayonne to Marseille, across the Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie and PACA regions. Our 6 agents run regular call cycles there all year round.

The builders’ merchant channel rewards manufacturers who show up in the field, not those who settle for a listing agreement. If you want your products to genuinely thrive in the Gedimat, Tout Faire, Chausson Matériaux, BigMat or Point.P branches of the South of France, let’s talk.