Three Wiltshire-based entrepreneurs – Rob Appleby, Cameron Carash and Andy Young have each taken a third share of Swindon electrical wholesale store, New Edition Electrical Supplies.

The company was previously called A&E Electrical Wholesalers and had been operating for over ten years. Now under new management, it has undergone a complete rebrand to bring a fresh approach to electrical wholesale in West Swindon.

Cameron – whose other business, Hus & Home made the news last year for supplying Netflix with furniture for its production sets – joins co-directors Rob and Andy in running the business. Andy was previously the sole owner of the firm.

Each of the partners has different experience across the electrical industry – from domestic work to large-scale commercial projects. Together, the trio has taken what was a long-standing setup and given it a new direction, with a real focus on customer service, smart stock choices, and flexibility.

New Edition Electrical Supplies will be completely independent, which means it is not tied to any national suppliers – allowing the partners to focus on what’s best for local electricians, contractors, and even members of the public tackling their own home projects.

The shop is stocked with some of the best-known brands in the industry – including Fusebox, Wago, CK Tools, Knightsbridge, CTC, and more.

Additionally, a new online store will be launching soon to make ordering even easier and allow both collection and delivery of thousands of products which the firm has in stock.

Cameron said, “We’re looking forward to what this is going to be. We aim to compete with the big chains and other regional firms around the area. Strategically, we’re located to hopefully attract a lot of West Swindon business and are the only electrical wholesaler this side of town. Whether it’s a few essentials or a full project’s worth of equipment, we’re ready to help.”

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Unicrimp, part of the Scolmore Group of companies, has welcomed the first visitors to its newly opened showroom at its headquarters in Staffordshire.

Launched by Scolmore Group in 2014, Unicrimp has continued to enjoy success with its comprehensive range of cable accessory products and the requirement to invest in a vcaisitor centre and showroom resource became a high priority. As well as showcasing Unicrimp’s ever-expanding range of cable accessories, it will serve as a venue to host a range of events including internal meetings and presentations, product launches and demonstrations, as well as training sessions for customers.

The Q crew

Since launch 10 years ago, the Unicrimp range has been continually developed and expanded, and currently comprises three distinct product categories, with each one marketed under its own sub brand and all available exclusively through the electrical wholesaler channel.  These are the Q-Crimp range of cable and wire accessories, Q-Fire fire–rated and 18^th edition compliant cable accessories and the most recent addition to the portfolio, Q-Nect lever connectors and connection boxes, launched last year. Unicrimp is also the exclusive distributor of the original, multi-surface sealant and adhesive brand, OB1, through the UK electrical wholesale channel.

The Q-Crimp range of cable accessory products provides everything required to harness cable between the consumer unit and the end accessory. The product offering comprises an extensive range of cable management consumables, including stainless steel cable ties, nylon cable ties, crimp terminals, PVC tape, copper tube terminals, cable clips, and brass and nylon glands.

Q-Fire is an extensive range of fire–rated cable accessories that are 18^th edition compliant.  The range comprises fire-safe Twin and Earth Cable Clips, Saddle Clips and P Clips, Stainless Steel Mounts, Metal Cable Cleats, All-Round Banding, Masonry Screws and Fire-resistant Sealants and Foam. The comprehensive range provides installers with an expanded choice of fixing solutions, suitable across a range of applications and environments – helping them to satisfy the latest wiring regulations.

The Q-NECT range of lever connectors and connection boxes brings together a selection of products that work in conjunction with each other to provide installers with strong, quick and reliable solutions that will offer them versatility when carrying out their everyday tasks. A total of 10 products make up the full Q-NECT range, which comprises 2, 3 and 5 way lever connectors, IP66 weatherproof junction box, 2 and 3 way IP connection boxes and 5 pole, 3 way IP68 ‘T’ and 2 way inline connectors.

Tried and tested

OB1 is a high-spec hybrid construction sealant and adhesive that has a tried and tested formulation which has been used by the trade for over 15 years. What makes OB1 stand out is its versatility, flexibility and its 24-hour full curing time. It provides an alternative to mastics, wood and PU adhesives, silicones, acrylics and butyl rubber sealants.

Visitors to the new showroom facility will have the opportunity to get a close up look at the key products from across each range which are on display, as well as the most recent additions which include new trade tubs, armoured industrial brass cable glands and nylon cable glands, earthing plates and black and grey PVC cable sleeving. The displays also show how various Unicrimp products work in conjunction with other products from across the Scolmore Group, such as the cable ties, nylon meter tail glands and grommet strip trim roll with the Elucian consumer units, and the metal clad switches and sockets.

For further information, click here

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Unicrimp, part of the Scolmore Group of companies, has produced a new catalogue to showcase its comprehensive range of cable accessories products.

Available to download now from the Unicrimp website – www.unicrimp.com – or via the Scolmore Group App, the catalogue brings together recently-launched and existing products to provide a comprehensive and valuable resource for wholesalers, specifiers, contractors and procurement professionals.

Since launch almost 10 years ago, the Unicrimp range has been continually developed and expanded, and currently comprises three distinct product categories, each marketed under its own sub brand and all available exclusively through the electrical wholesaler channel. These are the Q-Crimp range of cable and wire accessories, Q-Fire fire–rated and 18^th edition compliant cable accessories and the Q-Nect lever connectors and connection boxes.  Unicrimp is also the exclusive distributor of the original, multi-surface sealant and adhesive brand, OB1, through the UK electrical wholesale channel.

Recent launches that are showcased in the latest catalogue are new Q-Crimp Tradesmen Tubs; armoured brass cable glands; heavy duty masonry nails; rubble sacks; dust sheets; single and double earthing plates.

There are three new Tradesmen Tubs now available offering a mix of fire clips, screws, red wall plugs, grommets, LSF P clips and LSF saddle clips in a range of quantities.

Follow Unicrimp on X (Twitter) here

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In this month’s Face to Face we hear from Ade Solomon, Group Sales Director at Olympic Fixings, to find out more about the company and the sector it operates in.

1. When and how was Olympic Fixings established?

Olympic Fixings was established over 30 years ago. I joined at the start of 2018, now with over 36 years of experience selling fasteners and fixings, along with fellow Directors Paul Gordon & Gareth Williams. Our aim was to modernise the business and drive growth through product innovation and a new customer service proposition.

2. What sets Olympic apart from other fixing suppliers?

Our mantra is “Quality at our core”. That’s quality in our products, our packaging and the service we offer our customers. We believe fixings are more than just commodities to be traded simply on price. The electrical contractor needs to be able to trust the integrity and suitability of the fixings that are being used. We get great feedback from end users that they trust the quality of the Olympic fixings brand.

Relative to some players in the market we are a small team, passionate about what we do, flexible, innovative and prepared to respond quickly to changes in our customer’s needs.

3. What products and solutions are currently proving popular in the electrical sector?

We have sold a limited range of our products in convenient Trade-Tubs for many years. Based on customer feedback we have added many new variants and the feedback from end users has been fantastic. In addition to the ever-popular screw and red plug tub we’ve added tubs of popular sized steel and brass machine screws, self-drilling screws, self-tapping screws, grommets and fire rated fixings. All designed to help the electrical contractor keep van stock organised and avoid time lost on site by not having the right fixing for the job.

Many of our customers have asked us to source non-catalogue products and so we have launched Olympic Fixings Sourcing – OFS. Instead of turning away an enquiry for “unusual” fixings, wholesalers can now use OFS to satisfy their customer requirement and make some additional sales and margin along the way.

4. How does Olympic Fixings support its wholesalers?

We are loyal to the channel – we don’t supply directly through Amazon or, unlike many others, the hybrid national retailers who have taken so much value away from the electrical wholesale channel.

Our customer proposition is based on being easy to deal with – 3,500 SKU offered for sale, in nearly all cases, down to the single unit as part of a carriage paid order.

Wholesalers can order by phone, email or through our online catalogue which carries an additional discount to recognise that the wholesaler is doing more of the work.

By building brands rather than simply trading commodities, wholesalers who sell Olympic Fixings products can expect to make higher cash margins. We have a range of merchandising solutions from simple countertop units through to full metre wide merchandising stands.

Product data is now available through the ePim platform and we are very proud that we’ve recently been awarded Gold Standard by EDATA. 

5. What are Olympic’s goals for the year ahead?

More product innovation is coming with an exciting range of solar fixings about to be introduced. We have recently launched the “tetra” four way nylon expansion wall plug which can be used in brick, stone concrete or drylining – another value-add product for the wholesaler.

We have signed up to attend all the Elex Trade Shows and are we’re excited to continue the dialogue with our trade end-users. We are working hard on our sustainability plan under the headers of people, product and planet and you can expect to see further innovation in our packaging and in the way we work.

An exciting year ahead for Olympic Fixings and its wholesaler partners.

For more information, click here

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When was Hispec formed and what were the original company objectives?

Hispec was established back in 2002, initially as an importer of general electrical products, ranging from electronic transformers to fluorescent lighting modulars.

The initial mission statement of Hispec was to offer a wide range of quality products to the electrical wholesale market, with an emphasis on providing excellent levels of customer service to every aspect of the supply chain.

What sets Hispec apart from other electrical product suppliers?

Over the past three years we have invested heavily in the recruitment of an experienced sales team that now offers national support for our electrical wholesale customers. I believe that a major contributor to our continued growth is the unrivalled support that we offer the wholesaler, whether it be through staff training, joint contractor visits, trade day support or free of charge POS displays for their branches.

Our team listen intently to the requirements of their customers and as a result we were able to design and develop a range of products that filled a niche in the domestic fire and CO market; specification quality detectors at an affordable price point.

Due to our vertical integration supply chain model, we are now able to adapt and diversify our product offering in a much shorter timeframe than some of our larger, more corporately owned competitors – thus allowing us to penetrate a variety of market sectors with not just our fire detection range but also our emergency lighting and general LED lighting solutions.

How has the drive to reduce energy use impacted the lighting market?

The concentrated drive to reduce energy use has led to the development and rapid advancement of energy-efficient lighting technologies, notably Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). As the demand for these energy-efficient products continues to rise, the market for incandescent bulbs has almost disappeared completely.

One of the largest impacts to the lighting market in recent years will be the upcoming legislative changes that will effectively ban the use or sale of all fluorescent lamps in the UK by February 2024 – this is primarily being driven by the government’s need to achieve Net Carbon Zero by 2050.

Another significant impact of the race to reduce our energy consumption is the development of innovative lighting solutions, such as the newly launched remote monitoring system by Hispec, designed to cut down CO2 emissions, maintenance costs and the environmental impact of commercial lighting.

What are the current trends in lighting and fire detection and what product lines have proved popular over the past 12 months?

We have seen the demand for life safety products increase significantly over the past 12 months, with a particular focus on Internet of Things (IoT) technology. Social landlords, property developers and private contractors have shifted a lot of their focus onto achieving their own corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals – one of the most prominent being the reduction in CO2 emissions that many are accomplishing through the enhanced use of IoT solutions and connected devices.

We believe that the implementation of the Building Safety Act in October 2023 will have a huge impact on how we as an industry approach life safety, focusing predominantly on testing measures and compliance records.

What are the future goals for Hispec?

 We have some very aggressive growth plans built into our most recent three-year strategy, focusing primarily on a major expansion of our product offering, launching exciting new technologies that are targeted towards compliance and then finally ensuring that the industry are educated and kept up to speed in the emerging markets and opportunities within the fire and lighting sectors.

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Fixings and Fasteners, the ForgeFix brand, has launched an electrical fixings range in tubs, which will catch the eye of electricians looking for quality and value from their fixings.

The electrical fixings range includes wall plugs and screws, expansion wall plugs, metal speed plugs and flat twin and earth cable clips.

The tubs are made from 100 per cent recyclable tub packaging, made with a minimum of 30 per cent recycled plastic and sit nicely in the point of sale the company has developed for the merchant trade counter and showroom.

The wall plugs and zinc plated general-purpose twin thread screws feature an anti-rotation moulding at the plug head for extra holding power and have a self-locating internal channel for screws. These are a cost-effective solution for lightweight applications. The grey flat twin and earth cable clips are suitable for fitting flat cable to masonry and timber with a flat cable clip and come with hardened zinc plated masonry nails for increased durability and efficiency. The expansion wall plugs come in quantities of 500 or 1000 and the metal speed plugs come in quantities of 600 with 300 plugs and 300 round head screws.

Wholesalers can also enhance their sales with the company’s ‘Fixings Essentials’ point of sale merchandising stand, which the tubs sit nicely on. With a width of 530mm, depth of 500mm and a height of 1800mm, this stand is ideal for trade counter areas.

For more information, click here

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For this month’s Face to Face, we caught up with James Ireland, Sales Director at Forum Lighting Solutions, to get his thoughts on a range of lighting related topics. 

What is your industry background and how did you get involved with Forum Lighting Solutions? 

I started working in the electrical wholesale supply chain at 18, which is now somehow over 20 years ago. I’m not sure where those years have gone. I moved from North Yorkshire down to North London and began my path into the lighting industry with a lamp company specialising in everything from incandescent, halogen, fluorescent and very early LED lamps. This gave me my first experience of supplying the UK’s electrical wholesalers.  

 After 5 years in the lamp market, I made a move to an up and coming commercial lighting supplier. This was an exciting time as I was part of a fast-growing business and learnt a lot of what was required for a supplier to make progress in our industry. Being part of a small team it also taught me many different roles from sales to marketing and being involved in product development.  

 After six years with the commercial lighting business, I received a call from a good friend in the industry who told me of plans to launch a new business, with the backing of a very well established lighting manufacturer and asked me if I’d be interested in joining the project. This was the beginning of Forum Lighting.    

 What were Forum’s most popular product lines across the last 12 months? 

I’m fortunate to be able to say that Forum have enjoyed a very positive last 12 months, which follows on from significant growth over the past few years. Our range has developed and expanded, where we’re not reliant on the success of any particular area, but have a healthy spread of sales throughout the catalogue. The value for money Forum offer in terms of quality items with a competitive pricing structure is really resonating with not only our customers, but theirs also.  

 The past year has seen continued success in the bathroom and kitchen lighting ranges, but also very strong sales in domestic exterior lighting and our range of kinetic switches.    

 What are ‘kinetic light switches’ and how do they work? 

Kinetic switches can wirelessly operate lighting circuits without the requirement of cable or batteries. I remember first seeing these switches in operation and being amazed at how a switch can illuminate a fitting up to 80m away with no cable. The push of the switch generates enough kinetic energy to send a radio signal to the receiver (which needs to be wired into the lighting circuit), which in turn operates the lighting. 

 As well as standard RF receivers, we also offer Wi-Fi models which can be paired with a free app to allow control of the lighting via your phone or voice activated device.  

This kinetic range helps solve issues in many applications, where it can be tough to get cabling to a switch. There’s no longer any need to channel down plastered walls, creating more expense in redecorating, etc. Also, there’s no need now to struggle for solutions in providing additional switch points in listed or older properties with stone walls. The IP65 rated switches are also ideal for outdoor applications and can control lighting from domestic patio or decking areas.      

 During recent years, there has been increased demand for outdoor power and lighting products – do you expect this buying pattern to continue in 2023? 

There’s no doubt that lockdown saw many households investing in their properties with the finances that would have normally been used for holidays, socialising and all the other activities we were unable to do. This saw a considerable growth in the spend on domestic lighting and especially outdoor fittings where people were improving external living spaces.  

As restrictions eased I expected to see a decrease in spend in this area as the nation began to spend their money on the activities we’d not been able to enjoy and had previously perhaps taken for granted. However, what we saw was a levelling off of spend where we saw the purchases on outdoor lighting hold their own against the lockdown boom.  

I’m not sure what 2023 will hold for external domestic lighting, but I expect the increased cost in living to see a decline in spend for residential property improvements. However, I also expect that the massive scale of domestic property development in The UK will balance out that decline and see a stable level of demand on the domestic lighting products produced by Forum Lighting and our counterparts. 

With energy costs at an all-time high, how can end users look to cut costs by implementing the latest lighting solutions? 

With the rapid development in LED technology, I believe that offers the easiest way for domestic end users to save costs on energy. I see LED lamps now offering in excess of 200 lumens per watt, which is very impressive to produce that amount of light from such little energy. I see so many households using the wrong lamps and  believe our industry needs to do a better job in communicating the benefits of LED ‘bulbs’ and making the choosing of the correct product an easier experience for the end user. Currently terms such as Lumens and Kelvins are still not understood by the vast majority of customers and we need to help improve that transition away from Wattage being the primary decision maker for them. 

I also feel that smart technology is becoming easier to use and there’s a strong demand from the end users to embrace this. I mentioned earlier about the free app used to control our Wi-Fi kinetic receivers. This app can also be used to set timers and allow lighting to only be used as and when required.    

 Find out more here 

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