What do you look for in a wholesalers?

[N J]

Hello,
Any help here would be appreciated.
I'm soon opening a home/DIY store, however I would like to focus on electricians parts/cables/sockets etc.

Can any sparks help me out with
1) What bugs you most about your current suppliers? What could they do better? Better Range? Better Prices?
2) What prices would you pay for typical parts eg sockets etc?
3) Who do you use? Local or Independant?
4) Is click and collect important to you? (So you're in & out quickly?)

Thanks for any advice

 

[Andy78]

What do you look for in a wholesalers?

The free drinks machine, first and foremost.

Unless it's Friday, then I'm eyeing up the bacon sarnies first.

 

[PEG]

Why don't you try,that other hardware shop trick,of generating return visits,by offering a key cutting service,using an old enigma machine,with a blunt wheel......

 

[Cadgey123]

Pie day Friday is also an essential.

Working in Australia and this event is the normal at most wholesalers in the cities.

 

[rapparee]

A wholesalers who is flexible and will order me whatever I want, even if it is not on the shelf

 

[static zap]

A wholesalers who is flexible and will order me whatever I want, even if it is not on the shelf

Minimum order / batch size can be an enemy with some suppliers !
(... drawing a parallel from a local Fixings store ....)

 

[ChrisElectrical88]

When ringing up been asked, Does it have to be MK?

Yes.

Why?

Cause its fecking specified! Now delivery it mere mortal.

 

[CACJL]

you need to price stuff up on b&q an wickes etc. then see what you can get the same gear for. then can you be competitive and still make a profit. an example i can give you is... 6mm T/E sells at most wholesalers in 100m drums, works out about £1.30/m. my local hardware store sells it by the meter@ £2.75/m. so that's good profit. on things like sockets, switches etc, you'd be hard pushed to be competitive. I'd stick to paint and associated decorating/DIY gear.

Avoid Wickes own brand white wiring accessories, from my own experience.

 

[coolsparx]

Quality, reliability & warranty all at a fair price - cheap is not always good. Most importantly a response to emails & phone calls - even if its "sorry can't do it".

I use 2 wholesalers, mainly for different products or brands, then often the cheapest of the 2 for specific light fittings etc. I have stopped using 3 wholesalers for crap communications & 1 for invoicing above quoted prices.

I never buy clips or fixings from the wholesalers as they are too expensive, generally use only Toolstation since Screwfix became expensive.

I have a Tradepoint card at B&Q but don't get much from there, if they want my electrical product business then they need to be fair, why should I only get discount on what they want & not everything electrical, even a small discount. I had to argue with them as to why my Tradepoint card didn't give me anything off the normal price of mini trunking. On the plus side, I can go in & out of the quieter trade entrance.

 

[Baddegg]

Whatever CEF do....,don’t do that!

 

[coolsparx]

Whatever CEF do....,don’t do that!

My local CEF is fantastic, including on price, however most wholesalers are only as good as the branch manager & staff. In fact all of the wholesalers I have dealt with over the years it is not the brand or group which is good or bad, it is the staff.

 

[static zap]

.... it is the staff.

Do you have to be a big spender to butter them up ... or is there another process?
...My son bribes a few m-cycle shops with bacon butties...

 

[coolsparx]

Do you have to be a big spender to butter them up ... or is there another process?
...My son bribes a few m-cycle shops with bacon butties...

No bribery involved, sometimes I spend a reasonable amount, I guess I have been lucky.

 

[Deleted member 105166]

My advice to the OP would be to concentrate on the retail consumer and to get known for having knowledgable, helpful staff, that add value.

You are not going to compete on price with the national DIY sheds, so you need to be able to offer something they don’t do well.

You also need to minimise your SKUs. For example if you are selling to the consumer, you probably only need to stock two types of 2gang 13A socket (a reasonable quality white plastic and a metal clad) and perhaps offer a screwless face plate option and an IP rated product as special order.

However, if you are targeting the trade, you’ll need to stock many different manufacturers and styles... and in sufficient quantities to fulfil a sparks requirements for various jobs on demand. Only having 7 MK and 5 BG on the shelf is of no use to the trade. Nor is promising they should be in on Thursday. Over and above this, the margin you will earn on wholesaling will be a fraction of that you may earn on retailing, coupled with giving free helpful advice.

TLC, Screwfix, etc. have a great business model, with excellent availability and the backup of daily deliveries from a central distribution warehouse. The reality is you will struggle to secure cost pricing from your distribution channels that is better than their bulk sell pricing. Most sparks now use TLC as a benchmark for price, to keep their preferred wholesaler in check. The internet has ripped the sales margin out of the supply chain for all but the biggest players. I honestly can’t see how you can make any money out of being a startup wholesaler.

 

[FatAlan]

I think approachable friendly and knowledgable staff go a long way. For example I have a number of builders merchants in my area the closest of which is Jewsons. I just spent a fortune on building materials sourced via my builder who won’t touch them due to cost. I also concur with him as whenever I’ve visited the branch the staff are always disinterested. Quite often you may be looking for a non specific item to solve a problem so a member of staff who is knowledgable about the products available is worth their weight in gold.