Electrical supplies are more of a need for handymen and general contractors than the average Joe. When those worksite pros need to pick up wiring, fuses, distributors, and other power-related products, many choose to visit their local City Electric Supply (CES).
If you're among CES's regular shoppers, odds are you've come to appreciate the company's distinct identity in the electrical wholesaling arena. While more general retailers like Harbor Freight has its fair share of finds for DIY electrical projects,
CES stands out in its uniquely personalized approach to helping customers with heavy duty needs get the gear they require. And yes, the stores offer the same sort of service for capable DIYers with a solid smattering of notable brands, including some of the best Milwaukee power tools for those doing electrical work.
Whichever side of the consumer line you're on, you may not realize who actually owns the CES store you're shopping in. You might be pleased to know that City Electric Supply is very much an independently owned company. It's a family-owned one too, with a member of the Mackie clan calling the shots at CES since Tom Mackie founded it in the 1950s. That's unlikely to change anytime soon since Mackie's grandson Thomas Hartland-Mackie is the chain's current president and CEO as of this writing.
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CES Has Grown Considerably Since Its Founding
Given how much American iconography has been integrated into the City Electric Supply brand over the years, it may surprise you to learn that the wholesale outlet chain was not actually founded in the United States. In fact, CES came into being in the United Kingdom. That fateful event occurred in 1951, when a then 28-year-old Tom Mackie left his position at a renowned energy company to take over operations at a failing electric supply shop in Coventry, England.
In the more than seven decades since, Mackie and his family have grown CES from a one-shop operation into a global presence in the wholesale electrical supply game. While the company still operates nearly 400 outlets in the U.K., where it goes by City Electrical Factors Ltd., the growth of City Electric Supply in the U.S. has proven fruitful. CES launched its first U.S. shop in 1983 in Tampa, Florida, opening nine more stores over the ensuing year. At present, CES purports to run some 669 brick-and-mortar locations in the states alone. In total, the firm claims to employ more than 7,500 individuals in more than 1,000 stores both in America and abroad, with outlets also located in Spain, Canada, Scotland, Wales, Australia, and Ireland.
As it has expanded its reach in the U.S. and beyond, it's done the same with its offerings, now featuring six in-house brands -- such as Tamlite, Centaur, F4P, MCG, RPP, and Fusion -- among various other labels, including the likewise independently owned Klein Tools.
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Read the original article on SlashGear.
