Cooperative artisans' fair, organized by the ORCAB group

By COM4 - PR Agency Published on Thursday, February 12, 2026 at 14:37

Photo credits : ORCAB

Summary for decision-makers

The Cooperative Tradespeople's Fair, organized by ORCAB on March 18 and 19, 2026 in Nantes, brings together more than 9,600 cooperative tradespeople, 500 exhibiting suppliers, and 11,000 expected visitors. This key event for the sector highlights the strength of the cooperative model as a strategic response to the economic challenges of the construction industry. It offers a dedicated space for exchange, the sharing of solutions, and the demonstration of collective resilience in a challenging environment.

This 6th edition marks the renewed commitment of the cooperative network through conferences, practical workshops, digital innovations, and welcoming spaces. The trade show is establishing itself as a leading national platform for supporting the performance of tradespeople while respecting their autonomy, promoting the dissemination of best practices, and showcasing the cooperative dynamic in service of a sustainable and modern building sector.

In a weakened economic context, marked by a downward trend in activity and pressure on margins, the Cooperative Craftsmen's Fair, a 100% professional B2B event reserved for craftsmen who are members of ORCAB cooperatives and organized every two years in Nantes, poses as the main theme of this edition a key question: how can craftsmen preserve their independence while gaining in performance?

When cooperation becomes a lever for performance for artisans.

On March 18 and 19, 2026, the 6th edition of the Cooperative Craft Fair confirms its unique character: a professional event, designed by and for cooperative artisans.

Conceived as a space for reflection and concrete solutions, the event brings together artisans and partners around the key challenges of the sector, to to share feedback, analyze trends and demonstrate, on the ground, the strength of the cooperative model in service of collective performance.

A TRADE SHOW AT THE HEART OF THE SECTOR'S ECONOMIC CHALLENGES

Organized by ORCAB – the Organization of Purchasing Cooperatives for Building Tradespeople – the Tradespeople's Cooperative Fair is establishing itself as a place for exchange, reflection and solutions, designed by and for artisans.

In a tense economic environment, the trade fair is positioning itself as a collective platform for deciphering the situation in the sector, share experiences ground and identify concrete levers to secure and develop artisanal activity, without giving up the independence of each one which is the DNA of the ORCAB group: doing common while being unique.

Aimed at the 9,600 cooperative artisans of the group, nearly 500 exhibiting suppliers, more than 7,500 m2 of exhibition space and approximately 11,000 expected visitors, The Cooperative Craft Fair is establishing itself as a structuring event on a national scale.

By its scale and constant progress, it illustrates the growing economic weight of craft cooperatives in the building sector and their ability to unite stakeholders around a high-performing, sustainable and resolutely future-oriented French model.

This edition has a special resonance for me. My team and I have put all our energy into making this trade fair even more of a showcase for our cooperatives. and their artisans. The new registration platforms, the website and the application are not just tools: they are solutions designed to simplify their lives and strengthen their commitment.

What touches me most is seeing our cooperatives fully embrace the project and feeling the eagerness of our artisans to get together again. It's this collective dynamic that gives meaning to our work and that makes, year after year Year after year, the strength of this salon.

Virginie Hateau, Trade Show Manager for the ORCAB group

REPRESENTED AT THE SHOW

17 ACTIVITIES PRESENTED:

layout, interior design, wood & wood products, tiling, heating, lime and plasters, heating, cement, roofing, kitchen, kitchen appliances, electricity, plumbing supplies, insulation and plasterboard, masonry, construction equipment and scaffolding, carpentry, tools and equipment, landscaping and construction, institutional partners, sanitary.

THE COOPERATIVE MODEL,

A STRATEGIC RESPONSE TO CURRENT TENSIONS

ORCAB defends a strong conviction: the collective is a lever of resilience and competitiveness to strengthen the fundamentals of free and independent craftsmanship, with added performance and modernity.

The Salon will thus be the preferred forum for discussion on major topics such as:

the current situation of the building sector and its concrete impacts on craft businesses,

the strategic role of the cooperative model to secure operations in a deteriorating economic environment,

the way in which ORCAB provides long-term support to its member cooperatives, by pooling resources, skills and tools, the levers activated to work together, while respecting the autonomy and uniqueness of each artisan, the reconciliation between free craftsmanship and collective performance, serving the sustainability of businesses.

Virginie Hateau, Trade Show Manager for the ORCAB group

ACTIVITIES

REPRESENTED AT THE SHOW

17 ACTIVITIES PRESENTED:

THE COOPERATIVE MODEL,

A STRATEGIC RESPONSE TO CURRENT TENSIONS

The Salon will thus be the preferred forum for discussion on major topics such as:

the current situation of the building sector and its concrete impacts on craft businesses,
the strategic role of the cooperative model to secure operations in a deteriorating economic environment,
the way in which ORCAB provides long-term support
its member cooperatives, by pooling resources, skills and tools,
the levers activated to work together,
while respecting the autonomy and uniqueness of each artisan,
the reconciliation between free craftsmanship
and collective performance serving the sustainability of businesses.

ORCAB FIGURES

9,600 CRAFT BUSINESSES

4,000 Plumbing, 5,100 Wood,
500 Structural Work

41 COOPERATIVES

Over 56,000 employees and apprentices; over 2,800 cooperative employees

42 EXHIBITION HALLS

37 AGENCIES

CURRENT CA 2025

1,334 billion +1% compared to 2024,732 million wood,
560 million Plumbing,
42 million Structural work

56,000 EMPLOYEES

including 5,000 apprentices in 3 different trades

MORE THAN 700 NATIONALLY REFERENCED SUPPLIERS

78 DELIVERY POINTS WITH AGENCIES

CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS AND CONCRETE SOLUTIONS

In addition to exchanges with the network's listed suppliers, the show will offer a packed program of conferences, workshops and training sessions.

Each day, 5 conferences of 45 minutes each will take place in an interactive roundtable format:

10:00 - 10:45

Heating and domestic hot water solution

ALDES, ATLANTIC, DAIKIN, PANASONIC

11:00 - 11:45

Greywater, recovery and innovations: towards a circular plumbing
GEBERIT, GROHE, HENCO, NICOLL

14:30 - 15:15

Interior Design: Combining aesthetics, quality of life and functionality
COULIDOOR, DISCAC, EGGER, MEISTER, ROZIERE / OLT CARPENTRY

15:30 - 16:15

Housing: Between thermal, acoustic and regulatory requirements
CAVAC BIOFIB, K-LINE, TREMCO ILLBRUCK

16:30 - 17:15

Building for tomorrow: The advantages of the passive house

MINCO, PIVETEAU, K2 SYSTEM, UBBINK

AN EDITION PLACED UNDER THE SIGN OF MODERNITY AND EXCHANGE

This 6th edition also marks a new stage in the evolution of the show with:

new spaces dedicated to conferences and workshops,
promoting exchanges,
a new website dedicated to the trade show, allowing you to find all the information there.
a friendly place designed to encourage informal meetings between artisans, cooperatives and partners,
the launch of the new Artis'enCoop mobile application
connected to the site and the 2 new visitor and exhibitor registration platforms, to streamline the visitor journey and enhance the trade show experience.

All these initiatives reflect ORCAB's ambition: to strengthen the fundamentals of free and independent craftsmanship by integrating innovative and efficient tools.

NEW FOR THIS EDITION 5 WORKSHOPS OF 45 MINUTES

focused not only on technical skills, but also on business challenges and company management:

How to organize a recruitment process?

How can digital communication help artisans grow their business?

Atelier Scop: why not hand over the reins of your company to your employees?

How to develop your business through a construction cooperative?

AI Workshop: I'm Coming: Less paperwork, more projects

The objective: to allow artisans to take a step back, to better understand their economic environment and to leave with pragmatic and immediately actionable solutions.

8 suppliers offer training at their stands: DANFOSS, ELECTROLUX, HANSGROHE, DATA ORCAB, SELIA, SWISS KRONO, CICBB (Le Commerce du Bois): on prior reservation.

A SYMBOLIC EDITION FOR ORCAB

This edition comes at a special time for ORCAB, which is celebrating 35 years of commitment alongside building tradespeople.

For more than three decades, the group has been working to give performance and sustainability to cooperatives and their members, based on strong values of solidarity, proximity and doing things together.

Now more than ever, in a world in turmoil, the collective strength of cooperatives brings performance to building professionals. This trade fair is a pivotal moment. of our cooperative life where the artisans
Cooperators can exchange ideas with each other and with our nationally listed manufacturers; this trade fair allows us, artisans, to grow. at all levels and to strengthen our solidarity.

Joël Schoener, President ORCAB

ORCAB NEWS

EXPANSION OF THE ROCHESERVIÈRE NATIONAL PLATFORM
to support the growth of the group and optimize logistics flows.

Total covered area of 28,300 m2 and an investment of over €10 million excluding VAT.
This expansion was inaugurated on May 22nd at the end of the ORCAB AGM, which was celebrating the group's 35th anniversary on this double occasion.

OPENING OF A NEW MULTI-TRADE SHOWROOM IN CAUDAN (56)
A unique showcase of artisanal know-how by the MCS and CAB cooperatives to become a reference and inspiration place for construction and renovation projects.

ABOUT ORCAB

Founded in 1990, ORCAB (Organization of Purchasing Cooperatives for Building Tradespeople) now unites 41 cooperatives and over 9,600 craft businesses throughout France. A major player in the cooperative model and unique in its kind, ORCAB provides long-term support to independent tradespeople by pooling purchases, services, and expertise to foster collective, efficient, and sustainable success.

http://www.orcab.coop.fr

Practical information Cooperative Craftsmen's Fair, Nantes Exhibition Park

Wednesday, March 18, from 8:30 a.m. to 18:30 p.m.
& Thursday, March 19, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 18:00 p.m.

Frequently Asked Questions for Decision Makers

What is the Cooperative Artisans' Fair and who organizes it?

The Cooperative Craftsmen's Fair is a national event organised by ORCAB bringing together craftsmen and building partners, designed to exchange on economic issues and the cooperative model.

What are the main objectives of the trade fair for cooperative artisans?

The Salon aims to offer concrete solutions to secure and develop craft activity, through conferences, practical workshops, feedback and training, while preserving the independence of artisans.

What activities and expertise are represented at the event?

17 building sector activities are covered: layout, interior design, wood, tiling, heating, roofing, kitchen, electricity, plumbing, insulation, masonry, carpentry, tools, equipment, landscaping, institutional and sanitary partners.

Thematic glossary for decision-makers

Artisans' cooperative

A group of craft businesses that pool their purchases, services and skills to gain competitiveness and sustainability.

ORCAB

Organisation of Purchasing Cooperatives for Building Tradespeople, a French federation bringing together 41 cooperatives and more than 9,600 craft businesses.