All about electrical wholesaling

What is electrical wholesaling?

Electrical wholesaling is big business. It is worth £ billions to the UK economy and keeps the world around us switched on.

Electrical wholesalers sell the increasingly high-tech products we all use in our homes, businesses and entertainment venues, that give us access to electricity.

Electrical wholesalers sell and distribute products; manufacturers design and produce the products and professional electricians and contractors install them.

These make up the electrotechnical supply chain. It is called this because of the technical skills required to install the products they work with, unlike electrical appliances.

Wholesalers are the link between manufacturers, electricians and contractors. They provide the products needed to power up the UK.

There are a wide variety of roles available, from buying, purchasing and procurement, to warehousing and logistics, data management, financial management, sales and marketing, merchandising and HR.

“The electrical wholesale sector is fast-paced and full of opportunities for career progression.”

Millie Taylor, Web Sales Assistant Manager

LED Electrical Ltd, part of the ANEW buying group

Read about Millie’s career so far

The role of the Electrical Distributors’ Association (EDA)

The EDA is a trade association with members. We represent electrical wholesalers and distributors of electrotechnical products in the UK.

Our aim is to bring lots of companies together. Electrical wholesalers up and down the country are our members, and many manufacturers are our affiliate members.

Our work aims to improve things for everyone who works in the industry. We do this in several ways: we provide training, events, and software, and we speak to the government on behalf of the industry.

Electrical wholesaling and construction

Electrical wholesalers are part of the construction sector. Of the 31.4 million people aged 16 and over who are employed in the UK, 2.67 million work in construction. At almost one in 10, that’s huge.

The variety of professions within construction makes for lots of opportunities for anyone aged 16-25 looking for a great career.

Jobs include carpenters, plumbers, and electricians, as well as architects who design buildings and contractors and sub-contractors who build them.

The electrotechnical supply chain, of which electrical wholesalers are a part, is an essential part of construction because they bring buildings to life.

What do electrical wholesalers do?

The main role of an electrical wholesaler is to support customers. They do this from branches and warehouses up and down the country.

Electrical wholesalers sell products directly to electricians, contractors, and installers via their trade counters. Many also distribute products directly to building sites to provide power, lighting, security, and protection to buildings.

Electrical wholesalers are also helping to grow the UK’s electric vehicle infrastructure, renewable energy, smart buildings, and energy-efficient equipment. This means they are also vital in helping us cut the damage we do to the environment.

Product knowledge

Staff are very knowledgeable and can advise customers about thousands of products from hundreds of manufacturers.

Electrical wholesalers help customers by:

Helping them to choose the right product for the job
Increasing the use of new technologies
Raising awareness of new products available on the market
Telling them about changes in standards and new laws that affect the industry.

They also have good knowledge of stock. This means keeping track of what is available in the warehouse and buying new stock in advance from manufacturers.

Interactive-Online-Learning-Various-Screens

For those working for businesses in the Electrical Distributors' Association there's an award-winning training programme of 12 Product Knowlege Modules available to study in an online Academy.