April 2, 2025
Rexel Taps Into Long Island with Schwing Acquisition
Long Island gets immediate coverage, but bigger NYC Metro white space remains
Rexel USA has acquired Schwing Electrical Supply, a well-established distributor with six locations across Long Island, New York. The move significantly expands Rexel’s presence in a region where its footprint has long been limited, particularly in and around the broader New York City metro area.
A More Complete Map on Long Island
Rexel has a distribution network of over 450 warehouse storefront locations throughout the U.S. But prior to this acquisition, Rexel’s only New York Metro location was a Gexpro branch in West Babylon, Suffolk County. Beyond that, the company’s regional presence includes a single branch outside Philadelphia in Runnemede, New Jersey — leaving much of the critical New York-to-Philly corridor underserved. This has stood in contrast to competitors with denser networks in northern New Jersey and metro New York.
The addition of Schwing’s six branches — located in Farmingdale, Uniondale, East Setauket, Bohemia, Riverhead, and Southampton — adds meaningful coverage across both Nassau and Suffolk counties. While most of these locations are 40 miles or more east of Manhattan, they give Rexel a far more robust footprint on Long Island and a stronger platform from which to serve contractors and projects across the region.
Local Brand, National Strategy
Schwing has been a fixture in the Long Island electrical supply market since 1960, building its reputation on early opening hours, reliable service, and long-standing relationships with contractors. The company employs over 100 people and has remained under family leadership, most recently with Peter Schwing and brothers Jack and Bob Dunigan Jr.
Rexel will retain the Schwing name and continue operations under the local banner — an acknowledgment of the value that a trusted brand holds in regional markets. In a release announcing the deal, Rexel cited expected growth in Long Island’s residential, commercial, and healthcare construction sectors as key drivers of the acquisition.
Though this expansion doesn’t extend Rexel’s footprint into Manhattan, northern New Jersey, or down the turnpike into Philadelphia, it does reinforce a larger pattern: targeted acquisitions that build density in previously underrepresented areas. Long Island’s construction market seems to offer near-term opportunity, and the Schwing acquisition gives Rexel a stronger starting position in a region where relationships and responsiveness carry weight.
