Description
Howden Joinery Group plc is the multinational 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.
History
Howdens was established by Matthew Ingle in 1995, as a business unit within MFI Furniture Group plc (MFI). It started trading with 14 depots. In October 2006, MFI sold its loss-making MFI retail business to Merchant Equity Partners for £1, whilst retaining Howdens. At the same time, the name of MFI was changed to Galiform plc.
In 2007, Howdens' own appliance brand, Lamona, was launched.
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. By December 2012 the legacy properties had been reduced by over 80%.
In September 2010, Galiform changed its name to Howden Joinery Group plc. In January 2015, Howdens was granted a Royal Warrant as a Supplier of Fitted Kitchens by Appointment to Her Majesty the Queen.
Howdens was chosen as one of The Sunday Times 30 Best Big Companies to Work For in 2017.
Matthew Ingle retired as chief executive in January 2018, after twenty two years at the company, as announced in July 2017 and Andrew Livingston joined as CEO. In September 2019, Howdens refreshed the creative execution of the brand – with a new logo and the removal of ‘Joinery’ from the brand mark.
The brand was also once again listed as a Business Superbrand in September 2019.
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. 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.
The company manufactures its cabinets, laminate worktops and breakfast bars in Howden, East Yorkshire and Runcorn, Cheshire. All products manufactured by Howdens hold the FSC chain of custody certification.
