Managing Director Andy Johnson and LEW Gainsborough Branch Manager Lynne Anderson have hit 30 years’,
We sat down with them both to run through the history of LEW, some memorable moments and what the future looks like for the industry!
1. What’s your earliest memory of LEW?
AJ: So, we set up and it was basically a little room on stilts inside another building. To get to the mezzanine floor you had a ladder to climb up, and everything was on pallet racking, which was not ideal for picking customer orders. We also had a makeshift trade counter made from a spare kitchen worktop, completely different to what you see today in our branches! One of the first exciting things, in all honesty, was when we bought a cable cutting machine! We thought all our Christmases had come at once. Before we got the machine, we used to measure cable out along the street, we had a piece of 2m capping to measure it with, and we used to have to roll it out down Pillared House Lane. By the time we had cut the length and coiled it up, it looked second hand. Normally it was the quietest street but when you were cutting cable it would always become busy, and we constantly had to move out the way of traffic.
LA: For me it was getting our first new van. It was the cheapest van we could buy and it was only a short wheelbase. One of my early memories is of that new van, in fact it’s very first delivery. We had to deliver some 3m lengths of tray which had to go on the roof bars. When delivering it, it wasn’t strapped down properly and when the driver braked it all shot off and completely damaged the front of the van. It didn’t look so new when Derek got back to the branch! Back then we didn’t have mobile phones, if we needed to get hold of the driver when they were out, we had to work out where they may be and ring up the customer to see if the driver had been. If he hadn’t, we had to ask if they could use their phone and call us back.
2.What’s the biggest change you’ve seen at LEW over the past 30 years?
AJ: I would have to say the internet, for better and for worse. It has made the market much more competitive in terms of pricing and availability. Ecommerce disruptors have changed the landscape of consumer experience and expectations in retail. Over the years this has also become a challenge for our sector, with customer expectations becoming ever more demanding. Great service is no longer a USP, you have to strive to deliver a great customer experience.
LA: Oh definitely, I mean if you received an order on an overnight delivery, customers thought you were the best thing since sliced bread! Now it’s the expectation, and rightly so.
AJ: In the early days we didn’t get many contractors come to the trade counter as we shared the offices with Johnsons Electrical Engineers, it was seen as a conflict of interest. They felt we were giving them special terms which was not true, if anything they were charged more! One time a contractor was competing for the same job as Johnson Electrical Engineers, he swore blind we were giving them a better price. He practically dragged me over the counter to explain his frustration. I was considerably lighter back then, so probably not that difficult. We worked on earning customers trust and now all our trade counters, including Gainsborough, are really busy and thriving.
3. What’s been the most enjoyable part of the LEW journey since 1993?
LA: Seeing it go from a trade counter and warehouse in a side street to what it is today! Being involved and watching it grow through the various stages.
AJ: For me, I think seeing where we’ve come from, and overcoming some huge challenges. At the beginning we never dreamt we would grow to this size, the name Lincs Electrical Wholesalers limited our ambition to Lincolnshire. We had to change our trading name as we expanded to Yorkshire and beyond. We had some tough times, especially at the beginning. Following a bad debt in the second year we had to put a two year plan together and borrow additional funds to continue trading. We genuinely had to watch every penny!
LA: I was actually in charge of the books at that point, and it became ‘he who shouts loudest gets paid first.’ It was a very difficult 12 months, but we just pulled together as a team to get the job done. A real sense of achievement when you come out the other side.
AJ: Getting from that position and having battles with my dad to say, “look I believe in this business and it will work, I just need a bit more time.” The 2-year plan was to get us out of debt and we did that within a year. To see it struggling, and to see where we are today is an incredible feeling. My job, with my wife Heather, on a Sunday evening was doing the invoicing, printing them off and putting them in envelopes at the dinner table once the kids had gone to bed. Then I’d be looking through the Yellow Pages to see which customers I could contact and try to build new relationships. It was stressful but looking back thoroughly enjoyable. I have to say I don’t miss those Sunday nights, I now get to watch Antiques Roadshow although not sure that is an improvement! What I would say is, I got told early on I was too young to go self-employed, and that set the initial challenge to prove that I could do it, and I have absolutely enjoyed the journey so far.
4.Can you tell me your career paths up to this point?
LA: Well, I started as the Bookkeeper! I didn’t know the products. With it being a small team, I was answering the phones, taking orders from customers. After a while you just get used to knowing what the products are, and what suppliers LEW use, so it made sense for us to find someone else who knew a lot more about accounts than me! I then moved into a sales role, serving customers on the counter and developing those key relationships. In time, I was asked to be Gainsborough Branch Manager, and it’s been great building a dynamic energetic team to serve the Gainsborough area.
AJ: When I left school at 16, I started work in a woodyard for the summer before I went to college in Falmouth, Cornwall to study traditional yacht and boatbuilding. A great two years but limited job opportunities afterwards. I then started working as a labourer for an electrical firm before being taken on as an apprentice. At 22 years old I became a self-employed electrician, eventually working with my dad with our own electrical contracting business. Our local wholesale rep wanted to set up his own Electrical Wholesaler business and asked if we would be a customer, however, we joined forces and opened the wholesale business together. I continued working as an electrician with my dad. Following a change at LEW, I moved over to become involved in sales before taking over as MD.
5. What do you feel are the reasons for the success of LEW?
AJ: Hard work and a great team that we’ve assembled along the way. Having a team that has considerably more skills than me has been integral to our success. If you surround yourself with great people, everything falls into place, I know that’s a cliché but it’s so true! It’s about trying to be the best you can be with the resources you’ve got.
LA: I think the early days, we put in a lot of hours and hard work which gave LEW a really strong foundation.
AJ: We were close as a team from the beginning, a value that we continue to promote. For many, social gatherings are an important element and an LEW tradition. Our annual party started in 1993 with four people and continues today with around 180 colleagues and partners attending. Also when we first opened, there was a gap in the market in Gainsborough for a really good wholesaler, so we knew if we got the service right, customers would use us. It’s not all about price, it’s about having the right products at the right time. It’s well known that I hate the word ‘cheap’. I want LEW to be known for offering value for money. Couple that with a quality customer experience and it’s difficult to fail.
6. What do you think is the biggest challenge the industry faces over the coming years and what opportunities does that bring LEW?
LA: You don’t think of a career in electrical wholesale while you’re at school! The challenge is to attract young people into our industry. You have to demonstrate there is a career path and support that journey with training. We have developed our own learning and development programmes with our HR department and training manager, this gives us an opportunity to offer ongoing support to all our colleagues.
AJ: That’s where there needs to be more joined up thinking with our competitors, going to schools and colleges and working to support these young people into our industry. The talent is out there, they just need to know about our industry and the opportunities in it. Historically here at LEW we have been a very transactional business. The market is changing and becoming a lot more solution-based focused. This is an opportunity to strengthen our offering, we have recently incorporated LEW Lighting Solutions team and LEW Industrial for 2025. Another big opportunity is using technology to become more effective and efficient. The challenge will be understanding this fast-evolving environment and again attracting talent into our sector.
7. Have you got any funny stories that stick out in your mind over the past 30 years?
AJ: Yes, when we opened our second branch in Grimsby, everything was done on a shoestring. To keep the cost down we purchased a second-hand mezzanine floor. We dismantled it, transported and then rebuilt it in the branch. We never considered the planning permission requirements. On the opening day, Bruno, the Grimsby Branch Manager opened up and the first person through the door was the local council Planning Officer who served notice to close the branch. Fortunately, he gave us time to correct the mistake. It was a key lesson learnt, always do things properly!
Many thanks to Andy and Lynne for their time this afternoon! If you have any early memories of LEW please email marketing@lewelectrical.co.uk
