Discuss Cable % mark up by retailers ??? in the Electrical Tools and Products area at ElectriciansForums.net

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LukeD

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Wont mention the company .But they are a general building supplier with semi large electrical sections . So they will sell a lot etc . Maybe not like CEF etc . It was quiet today and got chatting to the section manager about mark up % . I trust him .He was saying on cables its not even hitting 2% at the moment for them ......... Jesus , thats grim. The owner allows it to make the money from the plastic bit (sockets etc ) and Bulbs . The rest is almost a hassle . And we moan when customers question us about mark ups !
 
I'd believe it - no different to the tiny profit retailers accept on fuel to get people through the door.

Interesting that you mention CEF as the nearest to me never seems to have any cable we need. Maybe they keep a decent stock of fast moving stuff, but that isn't much help.
 
It's nothing new, the mark up on cable historically has always been very low. Back in the days of booklet pricing of cable when BICC had the major market share it was more apparent but for the last few decades nett pricing of cable has made it less noticeable
 
Once Screwfix came about the big wholesalers had to start matching cable prices and slash their margins considerably

I had a mate who was once a manager at my local WF and I also knew a manager at an Edmundsons and both said margins on cable was in the 1.5-2% range

Even things like price matching their MK stock to Screwfix prices crushed their margins

My local wholesaler is £80 squid for 2.5 inc vat , Screwfix is £71
 
I'd believe it - no different to the tiny profit retailers accept on fuel to get people through the door.

Interesting that you mention CEF as the nearest to me never seems to have any cable we need. Maybe they keep a decent stock of fast moving stuff, but that isn't much help.
Because they are useless and only stock the bare basics for the domestic market. Some are bad, others are shocking.
 
Gotta love screwfix. Expect then to take on MAJOR high end brands . The brands will want to be part of screwfix for sure
Gotta hate screwfix, as If there is a company which will abuse their controll ower manufacturers its kingfisher (owners of Screwfix/B&Q), wether its pushing manufacturers to lower standard to lower Price, when the manufacturer is at a quality low enough to be beeten by chinese then offering chinese version cheaper under screwfixes own brand and when it goes bancrupt lifting chinese items brands price above the originals... (though this is more known as a tescos approach in Europe), wether its the kingfishers habit of bringing cheaper (lower quality) Chinese version of the products (rather then better Europe made version) and when company protests abandoning the brand all together (No more Siemens Thermostats).
Then its a case of taking better makes to china and having them "nearly" copied, but lot cheaper (Those LAP sockets might be sh*t but front used to look suspiciously like click sockets ant their best salles) and then putting their chinese imitations in searches in front of originals while making it harder to focus on a proper (UK/ EU made) originals,
Such as in case of flomastas JG imitations (I know its plumbing) , which when you search, and try to filter by brand, the UKs no1 sold brand wont get displayed as an option untill you chose "more options".
then there are tons of their own brands (could believe that half of all the brands their sell, but did not check) often making them sound german to trick customer.
With the buying power, they can get cable directly from china/turkey so their costs would be lower then that of smaller retailers, but outside price will be more based of what they can charge, rather then cost...
And no, most quality brands just cant manufacture in quality under that kind of pressure, so many of the best brands like Click, Wera, Heller, Bahco, Hagger, Scame, Hilty just aren't there. For quality you have to go either to smaller retailers or online
 
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I generally only write here during mine illness set-backs, but I could not leave that message without response
 
Sometimes it's a question of choice...or lack of choice.
I live exactly between 2 branches of Screwfix, one is 14 minutes away, one is 12 minutes away. If something is out of stock in one branch, the other usually has stock. my next nearest is 20 minutes away. All have a Toolstation virtually next door, one has a CEF outlet which has virtually no stock of anything I want, and the staff might as well be in Greggs for all they know about electrical stuff.
Thus, I have no choice really. having said that, if I browse carefully I can usually find what I need/want, and at a good price. I often check Screwfix and toolstation, not for a cheaper price but because one or other may have a slightly different item that is more suitable. I don't go on price but suitability. For example, all-round band/galvy-band/whatever you call it...Screwfix do a range, Toolstation do a slightly different range. i carry 4 varieties, 2 from each supplier. It's cheap as the proverbial, but slight variations make having a choice useful.
There really is nowhere else for me to shop, except B&Q, which is part of kingfisher anyway, and often in there you can see Screwfix stuff, but at a higher price. The only advantage with B&Q is if, for example, you are looking for sockets to match existing, as they have the whole range on display so it's easy to check what you are buying. Of course, never ever rely on the labelling on the shelves or on the packaging, or you will find the back-boxes you bought are not as deep as you wanted!
Both Screwfix and Toolstation are great for returns...no questions asked. Like them or not, this is retailing at its best for now, with plenty of shops, long opening hours and a huge range of stuff. Like I said, I have no choice really, but do i need any more choice? Not really. They may have cornered the market, but frankly they deserve it, having pushed other less efficient suppliers aside in many cases. However, I still regret the demise of some independents for tools and basic ironmongery, like catani and crocketts (Glasgow based) and of course, Bill's Tool Store. I recently went to a specialist company who could provide me with specific fasteners I needed for a repair to a machine. I took the old "bolt" to them because nobody else stocked the exact same item. The guy looked at it and offered me 4 different options...steel, stainless steel, aluminium, or some fancy coloured stuff. I went with the s/s option. How many do you need, he asked? Actually, just a couple, thanks. he came back with 6 and said "Here you go, no charge, it's not worth opening the till!"
Maybe it is a shame that the big names have stolen the market, but they do so with rigour and a huge range of items. That's what we need, what we want, and what we will always value. hate Screwfix? Tell me where else I can shop for everyday items. Specialist tools, Axminster etc are great. replacement parts, well, there's loads of those too...Saxton do great multi-tool blades, parts direct and others with similar names do lots of little bits n bobs you can't get elsewhere, and some even do genuine cordless tool batteries at half the price of Screwfix too! I refurbished my favourite, 35 year old black&Decker Workmate including the rubber feet and the plastic leg stays and steel hinge pins for £14 from a specialist spares company, and a new priming bulb and diaphragm for my hayter lawnmower for a tenner. Yes, specialist stuff needs research, but bread and butter stuff is a Screwfix or Toolstation buy for me. Really odd stuff I get from the big river etc, but everything else is from the guys nearby, and if i take it back, the refund is pinged to my bank account by the time I get back to my car.
 
I use Screwfix, but only as a back up- or for stuff that wholesalers don't do.

I buy Hager do I know they won't sell to Screwfix / Toolstation and that suits me.

I prefer brands that are not on jo puiblic's radar (and decent quality)
 
I use my local wholesalers and I am in Kilmarnock and we have a few- CEF (no), Electric Centre, Riverbank - good independent- excellent at Schneider and Holland House

I have accounts at all bar CEF Kilmarnock after they promised me discount and didn't honour it.
 
Not a fan of CEF here. Staff not friendly or helpful. My pal took a MCB to them for a replacement, they gave him the wrong one, made a fuss when he took it back...just poor service
 
Maybe I am blessed...I have Screwfix, Toolstation, B&Q, Halfords (don't laugh, they have some excellent tools) and even a Howden's on my doorstep...and for those really obscure items, Home Bargains is brilliant, and 2 minutes away! Plus of course, Aldi and Lidl...if you haven't been, try them! Aldi are currently selling a 4 pack of wood plug-cutters for £4, excellent for removing chipboard flooring. They won';t last long, but who cares? Forgotten your drill bits? Pop into Aldi etc and you get a set of cheapo ones for a fiver. They will do the job for the day!
 

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