The trade kitchen supplier has opened the doors to its 800th UK depot, in Rowley Regis, West Midlands.
This significant milestone opening in the UK comes after Howdens recently expanded operations into the Republic of Ireland, opening five depots there last year, as well as continued operations in France where the company has 60 depots.
Speaking of the latest opening, Andrew Livingston, Chief Executive of Howdens said: “Howdens has recently achieved record performances in its key trading periods, and the opening of our 800th UK depot in Rowley Regis cements our intention to invest in our customers, by providing them with a strong product line-up, with high-stock availability, and outstanding service at a local level.
“We understand that our customers, the tradespeople, are working hard to ensure that they can complete projects for homeowners in a timely and cost-efficient way, which is why it’s important for us to have a strong network of depots that are able to supply the buoyant pipeline of work that is evident across the kitchen and joinery market.”
The new depot in Rowley Regis has created new jobs opportunities, including depot management, kitchen designers and warehouse staff. Howdens has recently been recognised as one of the UK’s Top 10 Best Big Companies to work for, following feedback its employees gave through an engagement survey which was completed by more than 65% of Howdens’ 11,700 employees.
In 2022 the majority of Howdens’ depot network switched over to using energy generated in the UK from wind, solar or hydro (water) power. Previously, depot electricity emissions made up more than 10% of Howdens’ total business carbon footprint. The move equates to a reduction of over 6,500 tonnes of CO2 per year, which is the equivalent of removing almost 1,500 cars from the roads.
