The Associated National Electrical Wholesalers (ANEW) buying group has announced its sponsorship of EDATA, the electrotechnical sector’s award-wining data pool, which is managed by the Electrical Distributors’ Association (EDA). ANEW is the latest of 27 top supply chain sponsors – a mix of leading wholesalers, manufacturers, and buying groups – to give their backing to the data pool. Free to every EDA wholesaler and branch, EDATA puts the power of high-quality manufacturer product information at the heart of every wholesaler business decision.
Samantha McFall, CEO at ANEW, said, “On behalf of our wholesaler members, it is important for ANEW to endorse the data pool. EDATA is a powerful data engine, not only as a stand-alone resource, but also its seamless integration with the software wholesalers rely on - from ERP and inventory management systems to e-commerce platforms - ensures accurate, high-quality product information is at the heart of every wholesaler business.
“The market is tough and we need to make the most of the resources available to us. With EDATA manufacturers know their product data is represented correctly, and it gives wholesalers an edge over slower, less-informed competitors as their contractor customers receive accurate product info, improving trust and satisfaction.
“As wholesaler businesses become more digitised, trusted product data drives performance, scalability, and profitability. We strongly advise all our approved suppliers to get involved with EDATA.”
Margaret Fitzsimons, CEO at the EDA, added “Having a leading wholesaler organisation like ANEW as an EDATA sponsors is more than a vote of confidence - it brings vision, experience, and a commitment to innovation that helps us ensure the data pool meets the evolving needs of wholesalers and manufacturers alike. Very importantly, it brings EDATA even closer to the ANEW members, who can benefit most from what EDATA has to offer and gives them a voice in the future development of the data pool. We look forward to working ever more closely with ANEW members in future.”
EDATA continues to grow with over 100 leading brands signed up to share high-quality product data with electrical wholesalers. Every EDA wholesaler has free access to the data pool where they can search and find answers to technical questions, download product data in bulk to populate web sites and other business systems, and generate PDF product data sheets in a consistent format for use with customer quotes, tenders, and O&M manuals.
EDATA sponsors:
1. ABB Ltd – Electrification
2. Aico Ltd
3. ANEW buying group
4. Ansell Lighting
5. BED (Corby) Ltd
6. CEF
7. Cembre Ltd
8. Collingwood Lighting
9. Deta Electrical Co Ltd
10. Dimplex
11. Eaton
12. Edmundson Electrical Ltd
13. Electrium Sales (A Siemens Company)
14. Europa
15. Fegime UK
16. Hager Ltd
17. Legrand Electric Ltd
18. LEW Electrical Distributors
19. Luceco plc (BG Electrical)
20. Marshall-Tufflex Ltd
21. Prysmian Group
22. Schneider Electric Ltd
23. Stearn Electric Co Ltd
24. The IBA buying group
25. Thorn Lighting
26. Toolbank Limited
27. Vent-Axia
Launched in 2020 by the Electrical Distributors’ Association (EDA), the EDATA data pool is a cloud-based portal through which manufacturers can share their product data and images with multiple wholesalers simultaneously.
Main image L-R: EDATA Sponsor Certificate presentation:
Image L-R:
Javier Garcia, EDATA team, EDA; Margaret Fitzsimons, CEO, EDA; Richard Baxter, Director of Systems & Procedures, Edmundson Electrical Ltd and outgoing Chair of EDA Data Services; Samantha McFall, CEO, ANEW; Julie Houghton, EDATA team, EDA; Richard Appleton, Head of Digitalisation, EDA.
Notes to Editors
For further information, please contact: Anne Vessey, Head of Marketing & Communications, Electrical Distributors’ Association, 020 3141 7354 / 07885 10 35 27.
www.eda.org.uk
About EDATA
EDATA is the UK’s data pool for the electrotechnical sector created by the EDA in 2020. EDATA is industry-owned and run as a not-for-profit, with a Steering Group of wholesalers and manufacturers helping to guide its development.
Inside EDATA there are currently 4 types of data:
1. Manufacturer Master Data: the basic data which enables the identification of an individual product or SKU (including manufacturer’s part number and GTIN or bar code number). The Manufacturer Master Data also includes product descriptions and marketing bullets enabling manufacturers to highlight key selling points.
2. Digital Assets: including pictures showing the product at different angles, installation and maintenance instructions, certificates, and so on.
3. Technical Attributes: data structured in accordance with the ETIM standard showing the technical and performance attributes for each product.
4. Sustainability and Packaging Data: new fields introduced in 2025 to supplement manufacturers’ core product data. These new data fields give manufacturers the opportunity to share information with wholesalers about embodied carbon, recycled content, energy efficiency, WEEE, RoHS and REACH data, battery data, packaging sizes and weights, and packaging materials.
About the Electrical Distributors’ Association (EDA)
Serving and representing the UK’s electrical wholesale sector for over 100 years the Electrical Distributors’ Association (EDA) is a membership organisation for the UK’s electrical wholesale sector. Launched in 1914 as the Electrical Wholesalers’ Federation (EWF), the Association refocused and rebranded in 1998 as the EDA. Membership is available to wholesalers, whilst manufacturers can join as affiliated members.
The EDA benefits cover 4 pillars:
1. Business Community: events, forums, networking, access, news
2. Training and Apprenticeships
3. Digitalisation: ETIM and EDATA, the industry data pool
4. Industry Insight & Representation
The EDA’s Training & Apprenticeship Programme is twofold: apprenticeships and the City & Guilds accredited Product Knowledge Programme of 12 modules. The Modules received a Princess Royal Training Award 2022.
In 2011 the EDA partnered with EDA Apprenticeships Plus to offer comprehensive and flexible apprenticeship service for the Associations’ members and affiliates. The menu of services includes all recruitment, HR and mentoring support and can be tailored around the needs of the business. Managers benefit from ready access to apprenticeship expertise and support to help navigate the training and funding landscape. In addition, EDA Apprenticeships Plus offer levy management services to larger businesses.
The EDA currently has over 250 wholesaler members and over 130 affiliates (suppliers of products, services or software solutions). Membership includes the leading national wholesalers, Edmundson Electrical Ltd, Rexel UK and CEF, and Stearn Electric Co Ltd, as well as hundreds of independent electrical wholesales businesses of all sizes, most of whom are members of the UK’s largest buying groups ANEW, AWEBB, Fegime UK and The IBA Buying Group.
The EDA has been a member of the European Union of Electrical Wholesalers (EUEW) since
1960.
The EDA represents an estimated 75-80% of the UK electrical wholesale industry.
www.eda.org.uk
020 3141 7350