Wolseley UK moved into the electrical sector in November 2005 with the acquisition of William Wilson, whose 26 electrical branches are located in Scotland and northern England. The acquisition in April 2006 of AC Electrical, which brought some 40 branches based primarily in the Midlands and South, provided truly national coverage, and more than doubled the size of the Wolseley electrical business with combined sales of more than £100m.

The acquisition also announced the company's intention of becoming a powerful nationwide distributor of electrical products, creating an electrical force that instantly made Wolseley the fifth largest electrical distributor in the UK.

Today there are 70 Electric Center branches, and it is planned to increase this number to more than 100 branches in the early part of 2007.

All AC Electrical and William Wilson electrical branches will be re-branded as Electric Center, in a programme starting in November and running through to Spring 2007.

Wolseley UK commercial development director Ian Tillotson, who is leading the launch of Electric Center said: "The new brand creates a fresh start, where we can retain the best parts of each company and add the strength of Wolseley. We can now go on to build something special in electrical distribution, offering customers a new and exciting alternative."