• Potential suppliers seeking to do business with Wolseley UK, must go through the following procedures BEFORE consideration can commence. Submissions will be judged on a variety of criteria and the process will require all the elements to be provided, incomplete submissions will be immediately rejected. The result of the consideration will be communicated to the applicant, but in the case of a negative response, the decision of Wolseley is final.

  Potential suppliers should fully understand Wolseley UK and the markets that we serve. Supply partners are encouraged to be involved in the whole process from delivery through to sales out.

Understanding Our Business
The essence of success in dealing with Wolseley UK is to thoroughly understand our organisation, philosophy and customers. Potential suppliers are encouraged to take time to research the factors that have made us so successful:

• Our Branches – visit several Wolseley branches to experience our trade counters, stocking and display policies. Branches can vary in nature, size and brand. Understand the differences, our growth strategy and the implications.

• Our Customers – our policy of concentrating on serving professionals within the construction and maintenance markets encompasses a wide range of customer groups. It is essential to understand the drivers for all customers and to ensure that products fulfill their demands.

• Our Staff – never forget that the customer relationship is key and our colleagues are dedicated to providing a full service and that means they must have total confidence and knowledge of your product.

• Our Logistics – we have over 1,800 branches in the UK, four major distribution centres and a huge commercial vehicle fleet. We have built a reputation on getting products fast. Suppliers must accept the responsibility for achieving tight delivery schedules and delivering 'right first time'. We have packaging and identification standards that must be met.

Understanding Your Product
Of course you understand your product. We want you to understand your product within Wolseley. Why would our customers want it? Why would we want to stock it? What is the competition? What are the opportunities and threats?