Our depots
Local depot network with a nationwide reach
Howdens has depots across the UK in addition to international depots
Our depots
Our purpose as a business is to help trade customers achieve exceptional results for their customers, and to profit from doing so. We believe the best way to source and install a kitchen is to work with a local tradesperson, and we are clear that the future success of our business lies in serving the trade market to the highest standards.
Our business depends on entrepreneurial depot managers and the relationships between our highly motivated and incentivised depot teams and their local builders. A typical Howdens depot is in an edge-of-town location, which is more convenient for trade customers, and cheaper to rent.
Our in-stock model means that builders can get the products they need at short notice, even when plans change part way through a job. We offer the builder quality products, excellent levels of service and trade accounts that allow them up to eight weeks to pay.
UK Depots
(including in Northern Ireland)
International depots
(including in France, in Belgium and in Republic of Ireland)
New UK depots in 2024
Trade Service and Convenience
High service levels, including local proximity and immediate availability are very important to our customers and we continue to see profitable opportunities to open depots. In 2024, we opened 29 new depots in the UK, and, by the end of 2024, we had 869 depots trading in total in the UK.
Overall, we continue to believe there is scope for around 1,000 depots in the UK. The depots will be supported by our cross docking (XDC) facilities which enable depots to optimise their stock holdings and provide high levels of service across the product range.
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Depot evolution
We are opening all new depots in an updated format to use space more efficiently and to provide the best environment in which to do business.
We have also continued with our reformatting programme for existing depots. Depot reformats have a payback of around four years and the programme is delivering incremental sales. In 2024, we reformatted 76 depots, including relocations, with a further 8 completed since the year end. At the end of 2024, we had reformatted around 350 of the 670 depots which were opened in the old format. We plan to reformat around 60 depots in 2025 (including relocations), which will bring the total number of UK depots in the new format to around 70% by the end of 2025.
International market
Our international operations mostly comprise Howdens’ kitchen and joinery businesses in France and Belgium where we operate with a network of 65 depots. In 2022, we also opened in the Republic of Ireland where we now have 13 depots. In these countries we continue to operate our “a city-based” approach to depot expansion.
By the end of 2022, in a two-year period, we had doubled the depots trading in France and Belgium to 60 and we opened a further five depots at the end of 2023. In 2024 we focused on team development to drive greater emphasis on same depot sales, driving higher customer footfall and developing relationships with local trade who may not have come across Howdens’ differentiated model. In addition, as is done regularly in the UK, we are now running a schedule of “trade days” at all French depots, with aligned promotional activity and more supplier support.
Sales in the Republic of Ireland were encouraging in 2024, and we will be opening more depots there in 2025. The market is attractive and Howdens’ in stock offer in kitchens and joinery has been well received by local customers.
