WF opens UK's biggest electrical wholesale branch

For the first time, WF Electrical's customers have immediate access to the entire stock that now runs to 17,000 lines. It also includes a full range of power and control cables that can be cut to length. Orders can be collected within the hour or delivered same day to customers' chosen locations within the M25.

The development has been prompted by both the company's unprecedented growth and the major development work taking place on its doorstep leading to the 2012 Olympics. The improvements will further strengthen what is already the most successful logistics operation in the UK electrical wholesaling industry and the only operational NDC in the country.

The Dagenham super branch is the largest in the UK and will carry the greatest stock of any wholesale branch in the UK. Customers have for the first time access to everything stocked in the NDC, via the huge trade counter, for direct delivery next day or through a call and collect service within an hour.

The super branch developments include an extensive lighting showroom, Internet café and conference facilities. The new branch began operating from December 2006 and was inaugurated with a formal ribbon cutting by the Mayor of Dagenham, Councillor Dee Hunt, with VIP guests in March 2007.

Brian Smithers, managing director of WF Electrical, stated, "our NDC has been a remarkable success story and has been a cornerstone of our industry leading service record. It's one reason we have won three national awards for outstanding service on the trot". He added, "The new super branch will satisfy both existing growth in the local area and also provide an excellent service for contractors and developers working on the East London Olympic projects".

The Dagenham site:

The Dagenham site covers six acres with two main buildings of 140,000ft2 and 74,000ft2 and a staff of over 300 people. Stock holding at any one time is over 17,000 product lines, while the average weekly customer lines picked are 12,000 each week and there are about 2000 direct deliveries to customer sites each week. In total, about £800,000 of incoming stock is handled each week - involving handling an average of 450 pallets / week, and the average customer service level has been maintained at over 98% over two years.

The picture shows the Mayor of Dangenham, Councillor Dee Hunt, opening WF's expanded National Distribution Centre in Dagenham.