Stearn Electric

Stearn Electric is a specialist electrical wholesale distributor operating across Scotland, supplying electrical contractors, local authorities, housebuilders and social landlords with a broad range of electrical products. The business has built long-standing relationships across the Scottish electrical trade through a combination of product expertise, service reliability and strong field sales presence. Its product portfolio spans wiring accessories, luminaires, cables and containment, heating controls and — through expansion into the appliances category — white goods for new-build and social housing programmes.

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Having previously placed the current Profit Centre Manager at Stearn in a role over eight years ago, the relationship had continued and deepened across multiple hires. When Stearn decided to expand into the appliances market for new-build housing and social housing, they returned to Sales Recruit UK to find a specialist BDM with the sector knowledge, contacts and commercial drive to develop this new arm of the business. This was not a replacement hire — it was a greenfield role, requiring someone who could build a revenue stream from virtually a standing start.

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The challenge was finding a genuine subject matter expert rather than a generalist. Stearn needed someone with extensive established contacts across new-build housing developers and social landlords — buyers who specify and procure white goods at volume — and the ability to move those relationships to a disruptive electrical distributor rather than a traditional appliances manufacturer or wholesaler. Many candidates in the appliances market had manufacturer backgrounds where they were pushing an established brand. Finding those with the appetite and the ability to develop a new route to market for a distributor, with limited brand support and from a standing start, significantly narrowed the field.

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Sales Recruit UK mapped the appliances and kitchen equipment market for candidates with verifiable new-build housing and social landlord relationships, cross-referencing with electrical distribution experience where it existed. The SRUK Fit Score process assessed candidates across sector contact depth, new-business development track record, route-to-market understanding in the social housing and housebuilder channels, and the motivational profile needed to build a new revenue stream independently. Candidates from manufacturer sales backgrounds who had a track record of developing distribution partnerships were also considered.

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