Howdens Joinery

Howden Joinery Group plc is the parent company for the Howdens Joinery business (Howdens), a supplier of kitchens and joinery products to the building trade. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange, and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

Howden Joinery Group plc
Public
Traded asLSE: HWDN
IndustryFurniture
Founded1995
FounderMatthew Ingle
HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
Key people
Richard Pennycook, (Chairman)
Andrew Livingston, (CEO)
ProductsKitchens, Joinery, Hardware, Flooring, Appliances, Bathroom furniture
Revenue£1,583.6 million (2019)[1]
£260.0 million (2019)[1]
£209.0 million (2019)[1]
Websitehowdens.com

History
Howdens in Romsey (April 2019)

Howdens was established by Matthew Ingle in 1995,[2] as a business unit within MFI Furniture Group plc (MFI).[3] It started trading with 14 depots.[4] In October 2006, MFI sold its loss-making MFI retail business to Merchant Equity Partners for £1, whilst retaining Howdens.[5][6] At the same time, the name of MFI was changed to Galiform plc.[5]

In 2007, Howdens' own appliance brand, Lamona, was launched.[4]

In November 2008, the MFI retail business entered administration, and Galiform became liable for the costs associated with 46 MFI stores (the legacy properties), incurring an exceptional charge of £99.7m.[7] By December 2012 the legacy properties had been reduced by over 80%.[8]

In September 2010, Galiform changed its name to Howden Joinery Group plc.[9] In January 2015, Howdens was granted a Royal Warrant as a Supplier of Fitted Kitchens by Appointment to Her Majesty the Queen.[10]

Howdens was chosen as one of The Sunday Times 30 Best Big Companies to Work For in 2017.[11]

Matthew Ingle retired as chief executive in January 2018, after twenty two years at the company, as announced in July 2017[12] and Andrew Livingston joined as CEO.[13] In September 2019, Howdens refreshed the creative execution of the brand – with a new logo and the removal of ‘Joinery’ from the brand mark.[14]

The brand was also once again listed as a Business Superbrand in September 2019.[4]

Operations

The company has over seven hundred depots nationwide, including five in Northern Ireland and one on the Isle of Man, that sell to the trade (small builders). It also trades as Howdens Cuisines from twenty one depots in France, and two in Belgium.[15] Howdens sells kitchens (including worktops, flooring, appliances, sinks, taps and lighting), joinery, hardware, tools, and bathroom cabinetry. It offers a free home survey and planning service.[16]

The company manufactures its cabinets, laminate worktops and breakfast bars in Howden, East Yorkshire and Runcorn, Cheshire.[15] All products manufactured by Howdens hold the FSC chain of custody certification.[17]

References
  1. "Preliminary Results 2019" (PDF). Howdens Joinery. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  2. "Howdens founder and CEO Matthew Ingle to retire". 7 July 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  3. "Onwards and upwards - Timber Trades Journal Online". www.ttjonline.com. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
  4. "Howdens Joinery". Superbrands. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
  5. "MFI sells store chain in £1 deal". 2006-09-22. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
  6. Treanor, Jill (2006-09-23). "MFI sold for £1 and repackaged as Galiform". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
  7. Finch, Julia (2009-03-06). "Joinery group Galiform and plumbing supplier Wolseley hit by fallout from building sector". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
  8. "Massive Dividend Increase from Howden Joinery". www.dividendmax.com.
  9. "Sturdy trading at Howden". Investors Chronicle. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  10. "Howden Joinery Ltd | Royal Warrant Holders Association". www.royalwarrant.org. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
  11. "Howden Joinery Group Company Profile". Best Companies. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
  12. "Founder of FTSE 250 joinery Howdens to step down". www.ft.com. 6 July 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  13. "Andrew Livingston to join Howdens as CEO by end of the month". www.diyweek.net. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
  14. "Howdens Takes a Step Into the Screwfix Backyard". Insight DIY. 5 April 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  15. Oakley, Phil (2018-11-02). "Is life as good as it gets for Howdens?". www.investorschronicle.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
  16. "Howdens Joinery Kitchens". Which?. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
  17. "FSC Public Search". info.fsc.org. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
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