{"id":15929,"date":"2025-09-09T03:30:46","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T03:30:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enable.local\/?post_type=customer&p=15929"},"modified":"2026-01-26T14:48:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T14:48:25","slug":"enable-brings-rebate-efficiency-accuracy-and-strategic-alignment-to-app-wholesale","status":"publish","type":"customer","link":"https:\/\/www.enable.com\/customers\/enable-brings-rebate-efficiency-accuracy-and-strategic-alignment-to-app-wholesale\/","title":{"rendered":"APP Wholesale"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Company<\/strong>  <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

APP Wholesale Ltd is a leading national distributor of central heating, hot water, plumbing, and renewable energy products in the UK. The company serves thousands of customers every day and works closely with a wide range of suppliers. Over the years, APP Wholesale has seen significant changes in the heating industry, particularly as the sector moves toward electrification and renewable energy sources. 80% of their revenue comes from boiler manufacturers offering rebates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matt Alcraft, Finance Director at APP Wholesale, highlights the pivotal role rebates play in the company\u2019s strategic approach to these industry transitions. “Rebates form a key part of how we transition with new suppliers and with our existing suppliers. As the industry moves from boilers to heat pumps, rebates are a vital tool for aligning everyone behind that shift,” says Alcraft.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Overcoming Information Gaps<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

One of the major obstacles APP Wholesale faced was capturing rebate data accurately and addressing the lack of information. According to Alcraft, “It’s a huge thing with internal communication within the business\u2014sales teams, commercial teams on the supply side\u2014getting the information and knowing about rebates is crucial. If we don\u2019t know about them, we can\u2019t accrue them.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also emphasizes the importance of external alignment: “Getting aligned with the rebate partner externally and then sharing that internally so that we\u2019ve done the hard work in the negotiation and then making sure we\u2019re not leaving any money on the table, not mismanaging the rebates that we\u2019ve agreed.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No Scalability with Spreadsheets<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the communication barrier, managing the sheer volume and complexity of rebates was overwhelming. The company had rebates with both suppliers and customers, but these were tracked using spreadsheets, which couldn’t handle the scale. Alcraft explains, “It\u2019s very easy to miss updating a dataset or get a calculation wrong. We were also spending too much time calculating historical rebates, which left no room to explore future opportunities.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Driving Accuracy with Rebates<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

With rebates having a significant impact on the distributor’s profitability, accuracy was crucial. “Rebates make the difference between profitability and loss. We operate on very low margins, so getting the rebates right is key,” Alcraft emphasizes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adapting To Changing Rebate Conditions  <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

While annual volume rebates may seem reasonable at the start of the year, they can quickly become outdated as market conditions shift. What seemed appropriate in January might no longer align with reality by the end of a quarter, let alone by October or November.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alcraft says, “The ability to model, forecast, and assess current conditions to determine what\u2019s appropriate\u2014and then communicate these changes to suppliers and customers\u2014has been one of the biggest hurdles we plan to overcome with Enable.” He further adds, “If you can\u2019t adapt quickly, then you are at risk of being left behind.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Platform<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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