ARB Electrical Wholesalers is one of Southern Africa’s largest black-
empowered electrical wholesalers, playing a pivotal role in providing the essential materials required for the electrification of large scale industrial and parastatal projects.
ARB began in Richards Bay in 1980, and has since grown drastically to become a nationwide, fully equipped Electrical Wholesaler.
In 2007, The ARB group listed on the Main Board of the JSE. This milestone initiative was deemed necessary to accelerate on-going organic growth and enable ARB to further expand both nationally and across the continent, as well as continue its penetration of new high-growth markets.
The acquisition of Paragon Electrical, a leading group of five electrical wholesaling operations across the greater Pretoria and Centurion areas, represented ARB’s first acquisition since its JSE listing in late 2007. To broaden its national footprint further, since 2007 ARB has acquired Elektro Vroomen and Industrial Cable Suppliers to ensure a presence in all nine provinces in South Africa.
ARB recognises the value of fostering an inspiring environment to ensure that each staff member is given the opportunity to achieve his/her maximum potential. An on-going career promotion programme ensures that each staff member is afforded an equal opportunity to grow through business administration, management and commercial courses funded by the Group.
In addition, ARB provides study loans to qualifying employees to further their education. ARB is not only committed to the on-going training of employees, but to life skills teaching as well. To date, ARB has held training in the following areas: Basic computer skills, health & safety, product knowledge, finance, sales & customer care, managerial techniques, personal development, Primary healthcare, and HIV/AIDS awareness and life orientation.
ARB is committed to socio-economic development and empowerment of the local communities in which it operates. The Group actively supports a number of initiatives aimed at improving living conditions which include supporting underprivileged schools, orphanages, shelters and HIV/AIDS programmes.
Organisations which benefited directly from the ARB Electrical Wholesalers Group’s CSI programmes during the past year included:
A non-profit organisation which aims at shaping the future generation of the impoverished communities in which they work. ARB’s contribution to Ithemba’s education upliftment project assisted not only in delivering the learning programmes (from school readiness to vital life skills programmes) in the schools, but also in the renovation of the school facilities.
A non-profit organisation that creates essential structures geared to meet the needs of the vulnerable and impoverished in communities. The Domino effect is achieved through focused interventions which include: the babies’ home, feeding programmes, early childhood development programmes and the life skills programmes
A non-profit organisation that aims to mobilize resources from businesses and individuals to poor grannies and needy mums in disadvantaged communities.
The Robin Hood Foundation has four major projects which run during the course of each year, namely:
ARB Electrical Wholesalers also offer a learnership programme that provides opportunities to unemployed school leavers from a disadvantages background. During the year we supported:
Forty five disabled black learners. The learnership programme runs for a thirteen month period during which the learners receive formal training in accredited programmes, depending on the nature of the disability. Most recent learners included: twenty three domestic services learners, eight hygiene & cleaning learners, and fourteen business practices learners. For the duration of the programme we pay each learner a monthly stipend.
On successful completion of the course, each learner receives a completion bonus from ARB as well as a NQF1 General Education and Training Certificate. In the past, over eighty learners have completed the programme and we look forward to many more to come.
ARB Electrical Wholesalers is committed to sustainable transformation as a strategic business imperative and continues to take pro-active steps to ensure that its continually improves and enhances its BBBEE rating.