Special Feature FEGIME HISTORY


The first discussions about forming a buying group took place in 1969.


The group was founded as ‘Associated Electrical Distributors’ in 1975, and registered with Companies House.


digital catalogue, membership of the EDA, and access to events such as our trade shows and annual conference.


We have recently started an initiative called Fegime Future, where we are looking to encourage the next generation into our industry. The Fegime Europe initiative, meanwhile, sees us share insights with 18 other countries from whom we can learn and benefit via schemes such as Fegime Future and the FAMP (Fegime’s Advanced Management Program).


What does your role at Fegime involve? I am CEO of Fegime UK, and my role is wide and comprehensive. I am firstly responsible for negotiating all of the supplier commercial agreements for the members. This is my main role. Outside of that I have a number of tasks: I arrange the general meetings, board meetings and trade shows. I oversee marketing for the group, including work on LinkedIn and producing catalogues, both in paper and digital version. I represent Fegime UK at Fegime European shareholder meetings, and I am an Ambassador for the EDA for Training and Development. I also organise our annual conference, which is attended by over 200 people and is held in a different foreign country each year, chosen by the current chairman.


How long have you been working for Fegime UK, and how did your previous roles prepare you for your current one?


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I have been at Fegime UK for just over 11 years. From what I have been told, my work experience is very unique in the industry, as I am apparently the only person to have done all four core roles within the sector!


I started on the tools as an apprentice electrician, before progressing to electrician, approved electrician and contracts manager. Then, I started as a salesperson at a company now known as ‘Rexel’ where, from memory, I spent around 19 years progressing to the positions of branch manager, regional sales director, regional director and finally on to chief operations director. I then worked for GE Lighting looking after the UK, Nordics and Ireland, running a large team selling lighting products into wholesalers and end users. Since joining Fegime in 2014, we have doubled in turnover, despite losing what was then our largest member in 2022. Ultimately, I think the experience I have of all of the roles over the last 46 years, in all four sectors of our industry, has helped towards my current position and understanding of our sector. For me now, the drive is to attract the next generation into Fegime and help them to enjoy the great career opportunities that I have enjoyed.


What are the main challenges facing Fegime UK’s electrical wholesaler members in 2025?


Margin retention is a big challenge: the growing visibility of pricing with the advent of online


December 2025 electrical wholesaler | 11


AED joined Fegime Europe in the early 1990s along with France, Spain and Germany, with other countries joining in later years.


pricing has made it much harder to retain margin. New entrants will inevitably come to the market, and I think our biggest competitors are the ones we currently don’t know. E-commerce, whilst offering opportunity, also poses threats. AI can offer benefits, but one of the main advantages of the wholesale sector is our technical expertise, and if AI tools can answer the same questions that our trained staff currently do, that will make it easier for people to make a start in our sector. It may even open up larger online traders.


What can we expect from Fegime UK moving forward, in 2026 and beyond? I predict we will see more members joining Fegime, as we are seen as one of the most proactive buying groups in the market. That will increase our size and also give greater national coverage. The development of our training is key, and we will continue supporting the EDA on its great work on product modules and apprenticeship schemes. Sharing ideas and expertise with our European colleagues will also help us: putting into action successful ideas that they have, that we could use. I think Fegime is set to go from success to success. There is so much opportunity for our sector with changes such as growth in renewables and the drive to net zero. I want to make sure we are all well-placed to take advantage of these opportunities.


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