In a wholesaler’s world, ‘resistance’ isn’t something you measure – it’s something you manage. Right now, it’s showing up everywhere: in supplier costs, in delayed shipments, and in customers pushing back at the trade counter. In 2026, running a wholesale operation has become a balancing act where timing, pricing and stock decisions can make or break your margins.

Let’s start with the biggest pressure point: cable pricing. Copper surged earlier this year, briefly topping $14,500 a tonne. When that single material makes up roughly 70% of cable costs, it’s not just a market headline – it’s a direct hit to stock valuation and purchasing strategy.

For wholesalers, this has turned into a constant game of risk management. Buy too early, and you’re sitting on expensive stock if prices drop. Wait too long, and you’re exposed to spikes and supply gaps, resulting in tighter margins, more frequent price updates, and difficult conversations with contractors who are struggling to keep their quotes down.

Despite the pressure, the opportunity is significant. Demand across the sector remains strong, driven by large-scale infrastructure upgrades and the UK’s push toward Net Zero. For wholesalers, this means consistent throughput – but only for those who can anticipate demand in areas like solar, EV charging and battery storage.

Price increases, such as the recent 3.95% uplift in JIB rates, may help contractors offset costs, but they also reinforce the need for wholesalers to remain competitive while protecting margin. The real growth lies in supporting the shift toward greener technologies, where product demand – and margins – are often higher.

For wholesalers, 2026 is defined by volatility. Between extended lead times, fluctuating material costs and evolving regulations, success depends on agility, strong supplier relationships and the ability to guide customers through constant change. It’s no longer just about having stock on the shelf – it’s about having the right stock, at the right time, with the right knowledge behind it.

In this month’s PEW we have special features on renewables and green technology, home automation and, rather timely, outdoor lighting for the warm summer evenings we can (hopefully) look forward to in the next couple of months, as well as some encouraging apprenticeship stories from Ventilux in our Soapbox column.

Enjoy the issue!

– Tracey Rushton-Thorpe
Editor

Catch up on previous ‘Editor’s Viewpoint’ here

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Welcome to the May issue of Professional Electricians Wholesaler. The clocks have changed, the sun is shining and the evenings are lighter and so we can all enjoy being outside doing whatever it is we all love doing outdoors.

For some that might be going for a bike ride or run, for others it might be sipping a glass of wine on the patio. Sport of course can also result in injuries (so can drinking too much wine but I won’t get into that now) and various team members here at PEW have experienced their own fair share in recent times, myself included.

At the Annual Luncheon for the Federation of Environmental Trade Associations (FETA) in April our guest speaker, former sprint and hurdling athlete Colin Jackson, shared stories from his career, including the frustrations that injuries can bring to professional sportspeople. Their potential successes and livelihoods can disappear in a flash with an awkward fall or slip. Our jobs at PEW are a bit more ‘desk-orientated’, however there are occasions when we do have to venture outside and lift the odd heavy box (back straight, bend your knees etc) and personal injuries can throw the odd spanner in the works.

We’re a pretty small group at PEW, which I find much more preferable than working for a large organisation. Everybody knows and talks to each other and the ‘left arm’ of the team generally knows what the ‘right arm’ is doing and vice-versa. Problems only arise when one of the arms becomes incapacited for whatever reason, like, I don’t know being pole-axed by an angry teenager in a five-a-side football match. Unlike the Pep Guardiolas of the world, we don’t have an array of substitutes to call upon when this kind of thing happens. I sometimes wish we could skip forward a few chapters in the advancement of Home Automation – one of our special features this month – and deploy robots to cover staff absences, but then I wonder if I’ve been watching too much Black Mirror!

In this issue we are also taking a look at Renewables & Green Technology. With the 2030 phase-out date of new petrol and diesel cars recently being confirmed by the government, this is going to be a crucial sector of the industry in the next five years and beyond.

I’m off to cover the PEW team in bubble wrap – enjoy the issue!

– Tracey Rushton-Thorpe

Catch up on previous ‘Editor’s Viewpoint’ here

The post HARD KNOCKS or APRIL FALLS | Editor’s Viewpoint appeared first on Professional Electricians Wholesaler.