Exertis expands into electricals

Exertis has taken steps to widen the number of products it handles taking steps to move with purpose into the electricals market.

The distributor has hired Harriet Croft from Argos and will put the electrical products operation under the umbrella of its consumer business unit.

Plans include working with established brands as well as looking to work with emerging players and more details will be shared over the next few weeks.

Exertis has already built up a consumer business that has struck up relationships with retailers and will start by focusing on the small appliance and electronic personal care product segments. Ideally the firm will be able to mimic the process it has taken building its presence in the smart tech category.

Croft spent ten years at Argos, most recently working as manager in the retailers small domestic appliance division. The SDA category includes products like microwaves, coffee machines and toasters.

She said that relationships with retailers have already been established and they would benefit from the chance to work with a supplier with a wide portfolio.

Liam La Cumbre, Exertis consumer commercial director, said that the core electricals market was worth billions and it had carefully come to the decision to extend its activities in that space.

“Our research and analysis of the market demonstrates that vendors and our retail customers would welcome the efficiencies, expertise and additional reach that we can provide in the distribution of these products," he said.

“We have an enviable reputation in retail distribution built on our ability to deal with both large volumes from established brands and successfully bringing emerging brands to market, utilising our comprehensive range of retail services. Whilst core electrical is an established market, there are numerous opportunities within this sector with a huge range of products that span both existing and new product areas," he added.