2008 Registration Document - Rexel

5.1 EMPLOYEES OF THE REXEL GROUPThe acquisition of Hagemeyer by Rexel in the course of2008 substantially modified the corporate profile of theRexel Group. Rexel obtained all of Hagemeyer’s PPS(Professional Products and Services) activities in Germany,Belgium, Spain, Finland, Ireland, Norway, the Balticcountries, The Netherlands, Poland, the Czech Republic,the United Kingdom and Russia. The Swedish entitiesacquired from Sonepar and the activities of Hagemeyer’sACE division (distribution outside of the electrical domain)in the Netherlands, Asia and Australia were also integretedin the Rexel Group.In 2008, the total number of employees of the Rexel Groupthus increased by 29.2%. Any historic comparison of thesocial indicators with the preceding years is therefore to beanalyzed based on this information.5.1.1 Number of employeesand analysis of workforceTotal number of employees (number of personsregistered at December 31, 2008)At December 31, 2008, the Rexel Group employed 33,309persons, compared to 25,776 at December 31, 2007 and25,339 at December 31, 2006.The strong increase of the number of employees withinthe Rexel Group results principally from the acquisition ofHagemeyer, concluded by Rexel in March 2008.The breakdown of employees by geographic zones asdefined in paragraph 6.1.1 of this Document de Référenceis as follows:Number of employeesRegistered employees (Number of persons) at December 312008including externalgrowth operations*2007 2006Total number of employees 33,309 25,776 25,339By geographic zoneEurope 19,949 12,563 12,386North America 8,819 9,885 9,847Asia-Pacific 2,852 2,643 2,373Other Markets 1,689 685 733* For 2008, the total number of registered employees including external growth operations will be considered as the total number of employees forall of the calculations.20,00015,00010,0005,000019,94912,56312,386EuropeNorthAmerica2008 includingexternal growthoperations9,885 9,8478,8192,852 2,643 2,373 1,689 685 733Asia-Pacific2007 2006OthermarketsHeadcount by type of contract and by positionThe Rexel Group employs few fixed-term contracts andtemporary employees. These types of contracts are mainlyused to the extent made necessary by intermittent needs.In 2008, the average monthly number of temporary workersin full-time equivalent was 1,042, i.e., 3.1% of the averagemonthly total number of employees. This percentage,slightly down from 2007 (3.3%), illustrates the Rexel Group’sintention to stabilize its employees’ jobs.At December 31, 2008, 32,231 persons had open-endedcontracts and 1,073 had fixed-term contracts (3.2% of thenumber of employees).Finally, the Rexel Group had, at December 31, 2008,5,569 managers (defined as persons having at least oneemployee under their responsibility, or all employees with“executive” status for France), i.e., 16.7% of the total numberof employees. This rate was 15.4% in 2007 and 11.2% in2006.REXEL 2008 | PAGE 49