William Fry is pleased to have acted as Irish counsel to GCG and Audax Private Equity on the sale of the GCG platform to Rexel (Euronext Paris: RXL), announced on 25 September 2026 at an enterprise value of approximately US$1.4bn.
GCG is a specialty wire, cable and connectivity distribution platform headquartered in Chicago. It operates through 16 locations across North America and Europe, including its Irish operations carried on by RWL Advanced Solutions Limited. GCG employs more than 950 people and is expected to exceed US$1.1bn of revenue in 2026. It serves data centre, power infrastructure, defence, building systems, water, telecoms and industrial customers. Completion is expected by the end of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.
William Fry acted alongside Kirkland & Ellis and Fredrikson & Byron as counsel to GCG and Audax Private Equity. The William Fry team was led by Ronan Shanahan and included:
- Corporate / M&A: Ronan Shanahan, Marie McQuail, Sarah Young, Emma O’Leary
- Tax: Colin Bolger, Sean Kelly
- Employment, Pensions & Incentives: Louise Harrison, Jane Barrett, Cliodhna Hand, Liza Dundon, Richard Smith
- Technology: Barry Scannell, Aideen Tansey