LEW turned 30 on September 1st this year! Starting with just the one branch in 1993, LEW’s growth has been spectacular.
This is the story about how ambitions to become the largest UK independent Electrical Wholesaler have gone, and what to expect next.
What did the world look like in 1993?
So for those that can remember 1993, here’s what was going on in the world at that time. The average house price was £55,057, John Major was Prime Minister, Bill Clinton was president and Meatloaf released his smash hit ‘I will do anything for love’. In football news, Manchester United won the first ever Premier League, taking the ‘top team in England’ crown away from Andy Johnson’s beloved Leeds United!
How did LEW begin?
So sparkies Keith and Andy Johnson, were fed up with the service they were getting from electrical wholesalers. They wanted change. So Lincs Electrical Wholesalers was formed.
Is it true Andy Johnson used to sell products in a cart on the streets of Gainsborough when LEW began?
Well Andy can’t remember this, but why let the truth get in the way of a good story!
How did LEW evolve?
Originally, the plan was to only open branches in Grimsby and Doncaster. Indeed they did. Grimsby opened in 2002 and Doncaster followed in 2005.
This also required a link van, in order to transfer stock from branch to branch. This was a result of finding ways customer experience could be improved from a wholesaler perspective.
Originally, the Link van would meet in a layby on the A18 just outside Brigg, North Lincolnshire. Luckily as time has gone on, we have a much more polished link van service for our customers! We have 3 hubs now where we can get products over. These are located in Grimsby, Doncaster and Barnsley.
When did the company start to grow?
Andy and Keith having worked out of a small unit near to where the current Gainsborough branch is, quickly realised they were onto a good thing. They explored other avenues and started to open more branches. LEW Barnsley followed in 2010, with other branches like Lincoln in 2011, and Hull in 2012 following on.
LEW currently has 8 branches in Yorkshire, currently the largest UK independent Wholesaler in the county of Yorkshire.
New Regions
Having predominantly been in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire in the early days, LEW have never afraid to try out new areas. Branches have followed in the North West, North East, Cambridgeshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire, covering any area you might be in from Peterborough and Leicester upwards!
What’s next for LEW?
In the short term or long term? We’ll answer the first one. We’re looking at honoring our birthday in the best way we can do. We’ve a promo we’ll be telling you about in the new year!
In the meantime, tell us your best LEW story. Maybe your Account Manager did or said something funny you want to tell us about!
Email: marketing@lewelectrical.co.uk
