GROUPE DESENFANS SOROFI

What GROUPE DESENFANS SOROFI does

Groupe Desenfans Sorofi is an independent, family-owned French building materials distribution group formed through the 2020 acquisition of Groupe Sorofi by Groupe Desenfans. Operating under 100% family capital with a history spanning approximately 150 years across five generations, the group is the 6th largest French building trade distributor and ranks in the top 25 of the Zepros Top 100 Building Distributors list. It serves professional building artisans and construction companies through nine sub-brands (Desenfans, Sorofi, CatryBayart, Eychenne, Riche & Sébastien, Europe2000, Campingaz, Proadis, and Au Fil du Bain), covering heating, plumbing, bathroom, tiling, flooring, insulation, carpentry, tools, and PPE across the second œuvre (finishing work) category.

The group operates a physical distribution platform anchored by 54 commercial agencies, 13 Au Fil du Bain bathroom showrooms, and four central warehouses/logistics platforms located in Roanne, Cambrai, Lille, Compiègne, and Lyon, covering the Hauts-de-France, Île-de-France, and Rhône-Alpes Auvergne regions. Distribution channels include traditional field sales, professional drive-through pickup, in-store self-scan, and the Proadis e-commerce storefront. Core supplier relationships with GROHE, Grundfos, Atlantic France, Daikin, and Geberit drive product training and joint commercial programs across the agency network.

Revenue is generated through product resale to professional buyers on a transaction-fee basis across the group's multi-brand portfolio, with combined turnover of €150M and a workforce of 570 employees post-merger. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is conducted through commercial agencies and professional sales channels. The group holds EcoVadis Silver (Desenfans) and Bronze (Sorofi) medals for corporate social responsibility and runs apprenticeship and training programs with ten-plus French vocational schools.

Name

GROUPE DESENFANS SOROFI

Legal name

Groupe Desenfans-Sorofi

Website

https://desenfans-sorofi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1875

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Groupe Desenfans Sorofi is an independent, 100% family-owned French building materials distributor serving professional artisans and construction companies through 54 agencies, 13 showrooms, and 9 sub-brands across Hauts-de-France, Île-de-France, and Rhône-Alpes Auvergne.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Building Materials Distribution

SIC

Wholesale-Lumber & Other Construction Materials (5030)

akta.pro primary industry

Home Improvement & DIY (Tools, Hardware, Paint) Distribution (CRAOAFAC)

Keywords

• Building materials distribution
• Professional building supplies
• Heating plumbing supplies
• Bathroom showroom retail
• Construction trade distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambrai

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Building Materials Distribution: Distribution of building finishing materials and equipment to professional artisans and construction companies through a network of commercial agencies, showrooms, and logistics platforms.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Groupe Desenfans Sorofi distributes building finishing materials (second œuvre) including heating, sanitation, plumbing, tiling, floor coverings, insulation, carpentry, tools, and PPE to professional artisans and construction companies. The group operates through 54 commercial agencies and 13 Au Fil du Bain bathroom showrooms across Hauts-de-France, Île-de-France, and Rhône-Alpes Auvergne, supported by central warehouses in Cambrai, Lille, Roanne, and Compiègne. It manages nine distribution sub-brands covering the full range of building trade product categories.

Product overview

Groupe Desenfans Sorofi is an independent, family-owned French distribution group serving building and construction professionals. The group operates as a multi-brand platform consisting of nine retail sub-brands: Desenfans, Sorofi, CatryBayart, Eychenne, Riche & Sébastien, Europe2000, Campingaz, Proadis, and Au Fil du Bain. The portfolio covers the full range of building trades including heating, plumbing, bathroom, tiling, flooring, tools, hardware, and camping equipment. The group operates 54 commercial agencies and multiple showrooms across Hauts-de-France, Île-de-France, and Rhône-Alpes Auvergne regions, supported by logistics platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Desenfans (sub-brand distribution)

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• AlgorelminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 February 2020Algorel is a trade association/confrère partner for SOROFI subsidiary. Desenfans, Riche & Sébastien and CatryBayart participated together in the Algorel trade fair in September 2018.
• GROHEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor bathroom and kitchen fittings manufacturer. GROHE conducts training sessions for SOROFI commercial teams (64 salespeople trained in November 2023) and participates in customer events.
• EcoVadisminorOthersRSE rating agency that certified Desenfans with Silver medal and SOROFI with Bronze medal.
• AC Cambrai AthlétismeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSports sponsorship creating Team Desenfans with 8 athletics in demi-fond (middle-distance running) at very high level. Partnership aimed at creating an excellence pole in Cambrai.
• La Maison BleueminorOthersChildcare network partnership offering 5 priority nursery places for employee-parents of SOROFI group.
• Vestiaire OfficielminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEnvironmental partner for World Clean Up Day event organized for group employees.
• GrundfoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPump manufacturer conducting annual phoning events with SOROFI and PROADIS commercial teams and promotional campaigns offering 10€ discount on Grundfos product orders.
• Atlantic FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeating manufacturer partner for customer training sessions and joint commercial events across SOROFI agencies.
• DaikincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHVAC manufacturer conducting training and commercial mornings with SOROFI agencies.
• GeberitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBathroom fixtures manufacturer conducting SWITCH evening events for product launches.
• Multiple School PartnersminorOthers10+ partner schools for internship and apprenticeship programs including AFPA, CCI Formation, Lycée Saint-Luc, and others.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Samse Group: Publicly listed French regional building materials distributor with agency and showroom coverage spanning multiple regions; directly comparable business model and customer base to GDS.
• VM Matériaux (Herige group): Western France-focused building materials distributor within Herige group; serves artisans and construction companies with comparable product mix to GDS but in a different geographic footprint.
• Gedimat: French independent building materials cooperative/distributor serving professionals and individuals through branded branches; overlaps with GDS on second œuvre categories and artisan customer segments.
• Cedeo (Saint-Gobain): Saint-Gobain's specialist HVAC, plumbing, and sanitary distribution brand; directly competes with Sorofi's core heating and sanitary product lines and benefits from parent-group scale.
• BigMat France: French arm of the European BigMat independent buying group, distributing building materials to artisan customers through a network of member branches; competes directly with GDS in shared regions.
• Chausson Matériaux: Independent French family-owned building materials distributor serving artisans with a comparable multi-agency network and broad second œuvre product range. Closest head-to-head independent peer to GDS.

Regional players

• Distriplumbing / Frans Bonhomme: Specialized French distributor of sanitary, plumbing, and piping products for building professionals; competitor to GDS in overlapping sanitary/plumbing categories with strong West/South-West France presence.

Emerging players

• Algorel: French independent buying group/distribution network for HVAC, plumbing, and sanitary products. Both Desenfans and Sorofi are listed as Algorel members, making it both a partnership and an adjacent organizational peer.

Broad incumbents

• Saint-Gobain Distribution France (Point.P / Cedeo / Brossette): French distribution arm of Saint-Gobain covering Point.P (general building materials), Cedeo (HVAC/plumbing), and Brossette (sanitary). Largest national competitor to GDS with overlapping second œuvre categories and substantially greater scale.
• Rexel France: Global leader in electrical distribution with significant French presence serving installers and trade professionals; adjacent to GDS in serving the same artisan customer base across building trades.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/groupe-desenfans-sorofi

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about GROUPE DESENFANS SOROFI