What Premier Farnell does

Premier Farnell Limited is a high-service, multi-channel electronics components distribution group headquartered in Leeds, England, and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Avnet since October 2016. The company distributes a portfolio of more than 950,000 products from approximately 2,000 manufacturer brands to over two million customer contacts across more than 150 global industries, supported by 9 distribution centers, localized transactional websites in 46 countries, and operations spanning 60 countries. Its commercial structure is organized around four regional sub-brands: Farnell (EMEA), Newark (North America), element14 (Asia Pacific), and CPC (UK consumer), with the element14 platform also hosting an engineering community of more than 750,000 designers.

The underlying platform is a global supply chain and inventory management system optimized for time-to-market acceleration across the customer lifecycle, from research and design through prototyping, test, and production. Product scope spans discrete electronic components, development kits, and boards designed in partnership with major semiconductor and board manufacturers, complemented by design-support content and a community-led engagement model. The firm is positioned as a global leader in RoHS, WEEE, and REACH regulatory compliance, reinforcing its relevance to compliance-sensitive enterprise and manufacturer customers.

Revenue is generated primarily through hardware sales across horizontal customer segments including electronics engineers and designers, manufacturers, and UK consumers via CPC. Go-to-market is multi-brand and channel-partner driven, leveraging the regional storefronts, the element14 community for top-of-funnel engagement, and post-2016 access to Avnet's broader inventory through Farnell channels. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and operates across multiple transaction sizes, from individual engineer purchases to manufacturer-scale procurement.

Name

Premier Farnell

Legal name

Premier Farnell Limited

Website

https://premierfarnell.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Premier Farnell is a UK-based, Avnet-owned high-service electronics components distributor operating through Farnell, Newark, element14, and CPC, serving over 2 million engineers and manufacturers with 950,000+ products across 60 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Electronics Components Distribution: Distribution of comprehensive portfolio of electronics components, development kits, and boards to customers ranging from individual engineers to large manufacturers. Revenue generated through product sales across multiple industry segments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Premier Farnell is a high-service, multi-channel distribution group that supplies over 950,000 electronics components, development kits, and boards from 2,000 manufacturer brands to engineers, designers, and manufacturers worldwide. It operates through regional brands — Farnell (EMEA), Newark (North America), and element14 (Asia Pacific) — along with the CPC consumer business in the UK, and supports customers across the lifecycle from research and design through prototyping, testing, and production.

Product overview

Premier Farnell operates as a unified high-service electronics components distribution platform organized across four regional sub-brands: Farnell (EMEA), Newark (North America), element14 (Asia Pacific), and CPC (UK consumer). The core offering centers on electronics components distribution with over 950,000 products in stock from 2,000 manufacturer brands, complemented by development kits and boards, and supported by an international supply chain with 9 distribution centres serving customers in 46 countries. element14 also provides an engineering community platform connecting over 750,000 engineers. As part of Avnet since October 2016, the company delivers research and design support, prototype and test services, and production services across the customer lifecycle.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Farnell (EMEA)

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports time to market acceleration across all stages from R&D to production

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• AvnetflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2016Avnet acquired Premier Farnell in October 2016, making Farnell part of Avnet. This strategic acquisition enables customers to access the latest products in stock from across Avnet's inventory, extending Farnell's product range and supply chain capabilities.
• LittelfusecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPremier Farnell has an agreement with Littelfuse for distribution of circuit protection products, expanding the product portfolio available to customers through Farnell's distribution network.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• TTI Inc. Specialty distributor of interconnect, passive, and electromechanical components, now part of the Berkshire Hathaway/Mouser family. Overlaps meaningfully with Premier Farnell's passives and connectors portfolio, particularly for production-volume customers.
• Future Electronics: Privately-held global electronic components distributor headquartered in Montreal. Competes directly with Premier Farnell across semiconductor, passive, and electromechanical component distribution with comparable high-service positioning.
• Rutronik Elektronische Bauelemente: European family-owned broad-line electronic components distributor with deep automotive and industrial customer base. Direct rival to Farnell in EMEA, particularly Germany, with comparable broadline catalog and design-in support.
• RS Group (RS Components): UK-listed global high-service electronic and industrial product distributor (formerly Electrocomponents). A direct rival to Farnell particularly in the UK and EMEA, serving engineers and manufacturers with overlapping SKU breadth and service model.
• Heilind Electronics: Specialty distributor of interconnect, electromechanical, and sensor products with global operations. Overlaps with Premier Farnell's connector and electromechanical categories, particularly serving production customers in industrial and mil/aero.
• Digi-Key Electronics: Privately-held global high-service electronic components distributor with the broadest catalog in the industry. Directly competes with Premier Farnell across engineer, prototype, and production segments using a comparable multi-region e-commerce model.
• Mouser Electronics: Berkshire Hathaway-owned global distributor of semiconductors and electronic components, with strong new-product introduction (NPI) focus. Directly competes with Premier Farnell across engineering and manufacturing customer segments.

Regional players

• WPG Holdings: Asia-Pacific-headquartered semiconductor and electronic components distributor (Greater China focus). Overlaps with Premier Farnell's element14 APAC business in semiconductors and components distribution, but concentrated in Asian markets.
• Macnica: Japan-headquartered distributor specializing in semiconductors, electronic components, and network equipment. Comparable to element14 in APAC but with a Japan-centric customer base and additional focus on cybersecurity and network solutions.

Broad incumbents

• Arrow Electronics: Fortune 500 global technology distributor providing components, enterprise computing, and supply chain services. Competes with Premier Farnell in the electronic components space but operates at significantly larger scale across a broader portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/farnellnews
• Facebookfacebook.com/farnellelectronics
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/farnell-global

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Premier Farnell