The Ideal B2B Wholesale Branch of the Future: What Truly Matters?

At the EUEW Annual Convention in Helsinki, Würth Electrical Wholesale posed a striking question in June 2025: “What is the ideal wholesale branch?” (EUEW: European Union of Electrical Wholesalers).

A question that began as a harmless thought experiment turned out to have major implications for the future of B2B wholesale. It sounds simple at first. But it quickly becomes a mirror reflecting a system in transition.

If you’re planning a new branch today, or looking to remodel, digitise or optimise an existing one, you shouldn’t be asking how big it should be, or where to put it, or how many shelf meters you can fit. Instead, ask yourself: what really matters?

Let me take you on a short, focused journey through trends and technologies, but most of all through a critical misconception that is unnecessarily slowing down German wholesale. Let’s explore together what screws, self-checkout systems and “solastalgia” can teach us about the future of B2B sales.

The Myth of the Perfect Wholesale Location

Würth, one of the industry’s giants, took a deep look at the supposed perfect branch model. Large warehouses with high availability? Small hubs with daily replenishment? Pick-up points, parcel lockers, sales offices with or without inventory? Or fully unmanned 24/7 branches?

The honest answer after dozens of presentation slides: there is no perfect model. Full stop. Period. End of story. But please keep reading.

Many mid-sized companies still strive to build this ideal: a sort of sacred cathedral of wholesale. Everything in stock, instantly available, with personal service and a friendly atmosphere. Nice, but expensive. And often not what customers actually need. What role will your branch play when Amazon delivers same-day?

The reality is this: 83% of orders at W.EG are already digital – though not exclusively online. The average customer doesn’t want their world explained to them. They want their product. Fast. Reliable. Ideally with no hassle and at the best possible price. And you? You also want to make a profit.

Are there other relevant facts? Maybe. What’s the average invoice per customer at a branch? How many locations should you operate? Sonepar has 2,400 branches in 40 countries. Do you need that too?

What Customers Truly Want: Availability Beats Vision

I’ve seen it dozens of times: sales directors who spend sleepless nights over warehouse assortments, even though their customers’ order patterns have been telling the same story for years. A small share of your items generates the majority of your revenue. You could run a business with just 100 products (just kidding – sort of). And these “high runners” are what your customers want. Always. Instantly. At market prices. Plus, they want someone who can explain the product and show them how to use it – that’s how you justify a potentially higher price.

Würth puts it simply: the customer must find what they need – exactly when they need it. Nothing more, nothing less. Meeting customer expectations is the key. It’s not just about the number of items in stock. Interestingly, this realisation is gaining traction even in retail. In an interview with Lena Moos from the Digitalzentrum Handel, she highlights the importance of experience, speed and digital tools in modern branches – including B2B retail. What’s your take?

But how do you decide which products to stock? At what price and in what quantities? How can you reduce inventory costs without risking customer satisfaction? This is where it gets interesting. Because the era of gut feeling ends here – and predictive intelligence takes over.

Why the Branch of the Future Is Not a Building but an Algorithm

I know what you’re thinking: “Not AI again.” Yes, again. And there’s a simple reason for that: it works. As the market leader in AI for B2B wholesale, we see daily how companies use smart forecasts to radically improve their branches, assortments and customer engagement. What are you seeing? The software supports sales teams by suggesting ways to increase satisfaction, recommend products and calculate prices. It “recognises” regional variations, seasonal patterns and even customer profiles that typically lead to stockouts. Well, it doesn’t really recognise them – but it can predict them with remarkable accuracy.

In our article “Future Trends in B2B Wholesale 2024,” we show that three out of four wholesalers are currently seeking digital solutions to optimise their processes. More and more decision-makers are realising: “We have the data – we just need to learn how to use it.” Easier said than done when you have 20,000 products in stock and 1,000 active customers.

Instead of debating shelf heights, our customers are discussing data models that increase revenue per square meter. They’re talking about recommendations that delight customers. And price optimisation strategies that boost competitiveness without destroying margins.

A Glimpse of Reality: Welcome to the Kansas Moment

Futurist Magnus Lindkvist, keynote speaker at the EUEW Business Convention in Helsinki, calls it the “Kansas Moment” – that moment when you realise you’re no longer living in yesterday’s world. There’s no Dorothy, no wizard. Just new rules, new risks and new opportunities. The B2B wholesale sector is right in the middle of this. Digitisation, labour shortages, regulations, climate pressure – we’re not in Kansas anymore. Those who fail to see this won’t survive.

While many are still trying to preserve their old reality, their customers are already moving on – toward providers who deliver around the clock, offer personalised deals and know exactly when a job site is stalled because of a missing part.

The good news: you don’t need to become a tech company to keep up. But you do need to start thinking like one.

Three Tips That Are Worth More Than 1,000 Square Meters

Let me leave you with three proven ideas that have worked for mid-sized businesses across Europe.

First: Define your model with absolute clarity. Is your branch a logistics hub? A showroom? A customer touchpoint? It can’t be everything. But clarity always works. Always.

Second: Trust data more than opinions. If an algorithm tells you that customer X is likely to buy product Y at price Z, believe it. Use it. Successful companies have been using predictions to optimise their business models for decades. Speaking of which – how did you find this article?

Third: Don’t treat your sales staff as victims of digitalisation. See them as conductors of the new symphony. Equip them with tools that help them shine. Give them AI that supports – not replaces – their expertise. Your people are essential.

So What Truly Matters? Trust. Availability. Foresight.

In the end, it’s not about technology. It’s about how you use it to strengthen what makes your business special. That includes customer proximity, reliability and AI-powered demand forecasting.

The ideal wholesale branch is not a building. It’s a promise: “We are here when you need us. And we know what you need – before you do.”
Successful wholesalers don’t rely on gut feeling alone. They rely on data-driven, AI-supported predictions.

This isn’t future talk. It’s already reality – for those who are bold enough to let go of the old and clear-sighted enough to shape the new.

 
CALCULATE NOW THE ROI OF QYMATIX PREDICTIVE SALES SOFTWARE
 

Conclusion: The Ideal Wholesale Branch Doesn’t Exist

There is no universal blueprint for a wholesale branch. The key lies in meeting customer expectations with your available resources. Incremental improvements in efficiency are what make the difference.

Lindkvist sums it up with a curious yet powerful image: In 1800, people had to work six hours to afford one hour of light. Today? Half a second.

Progress is exponential – and unforgiving. Fall behind, and you’re left in the dark. And what about the human side? Let’s not forget: your branch managers and inside sales staff are not machines that can simply be sped up.

In our article “Revenue per Employee in B2B Wholesale,” we show that revenue per head is falling while workloads continue to rise. The consequence: companies that delay the use of AI in sales risk overwhelming their teams.

So stop asking how many more shelves you can install. Instead, ask: how many customers will still be around in five years if we keep doing things the same way?

If you’d like to talk about what a truly data-driven, future-ready wholesale branch could look like, get in touch. We’ll help you ask the right questions – and find the right answers.

Are you ready? The future isn’t waiting. Neither are your customers.

Interested in an AI-powered branch strategy that truly matters? Reach out – or forward this article to someone who should read it.

I WANT PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS FOR B2B SALES.
 

Further Read:
 

Anja Borberg(2024) – The branch of the future: An interview with Lena Moos about experiential shopping and digitalization