In the depot

At the end of 2012, we operated from over 500 depots across the UK, each with an average size of 10,000 square feet. Once a depot opens, it takes 7 years to reach maturity – to achieve its full sales potential. Its continuing growth is driven by its manager and staff, who are responsible for building business in their local area. We believe that the Howdens model will support the further expansion of our depot network over time to around 700 depots.

We build relationships of trust with our customers – over half of them visit us at least twice a month. Depot managers can tailor stock to what they know sells locally, and market it to suit local demand. So we really can calibrate our sales activity to match what our customers want.

Our depots supply market-leading catalogues and DVDs that show all our products, in detail and in room sets, so that builders and their customers can see how they work with other products and appliances.

"I don't want to be bored, I want to keep increasing sales and make this place the best of the best"