Howden Joinery Group Plc is the multinational parent company for the Howdens Joinery business (Howdens) based in London, England. It is 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 100 Index.

Howden Joinery Group Plc
Formerly
  • Maxirace Limited (May–December 1987)
  • MFI Furniture Group Plc (1987–2006)
  • Galiform Plc (2006–2010)[1][2]
Company typePublic
IndustryFurniture
Founded1995
FounderMatthew Ingle
HeadquartersLondon, England, UK
Key people
Products
  • Kitchens
  • Joinery
  • Hardware
  • Flooring
  • Appliances
  • Bathroom furniture
RevenueDecrease £2,310.9 million (2023)[3]
Decrease £340.2 million (2023)[3]
Decrease £254.6 million (2023)[3]
Websitehowdenjoinerygroupplc.com

History

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The brand was adopted and developed by Matthew Ingle[4] as a business unit within MFI Furniture Group plc (MFI) in 1995.[5] It started trading with 14 depots.[6] In October 2006, MFI sold its loss-making MFI retail business to Merchant Equity Partners for £1, whilst retaining Howdens.[7][8] At the same time, the name of MFI was changed to Galiform plc.[7]

In 2007, Howdens' own appliance brand, Lamona, was launched.[6]

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.[9] However, by December 2012 the legacy properties had been reduced by over 80%.[10]

In September 2010, Galiform changed its name to Howden Joinery Group plc.[11] Howdens was granted a Royal Warrant as a Supplier of Fitted Kitchens by Appointment to Queen Elizabeth II in January 2015,[12] and was chosen as one of The Sunday Times 25 Best Big Companies to Work For in 2020.[13]

In July 2017, the company announced the retirement of Matthew Ingle, after twenty two years at the company,[14] and the appointment Andrew Livingston who joined as chief executive in January 2018.[15] In September 2019, Howdens refreshed the creative execution of the brand – with a new logo and the removal of "Joinery" from the brand mark.[16]

The brand was listed as a Business Superbrand in September 2019.[6]

Operations

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The company has more than 900 depots nationwide, that sell to the trade (small builders). It also trades as Howdens Cuisines from 60 depots in France and Belgium.[3]

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.[17]

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.[18]

References

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  1. ^ "Howden Joinery Group PLC overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". Companies House. 7 May 1987. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Legal information". Howden Joinery Group Plc. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d "Preliminary Results 2023" (PDF). Howdens Joinery. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  4. ^ "Howdens founder and CEO Matthew Ingle to retire". 7 July 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  5. ^ "Onwards and upwards - Timber Trades Journal Online". www.ttjonline.com. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  6. ^ a b c "Howdens Joinery". Superbrands. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  7. ^ a b "MFI sells store chain in £1 deal". 22 September 2006. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  8. ^ Treanor, Jill (23 September 2006). "MFI sold for £1 and repackaged as Galiform". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  9. ^ Finch, Julia (6 March 2009). "Joinery group Galiform and plumbing supplier Wolseley hit by fallout from building sector". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  10. ^ "Massive Dividend Increase from Howden Joinery". www.dividendmax.com.
  11. ^ "Sturdy trading at Howden". Investors Chronicle. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  12. ^ "Howden Joinery Ltd | Royal Warrant Holders Association". www.royalwarrant.org. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  13. ^ "Best Companies | Howdens". www.b.co.uk.
  14. ^ "Founder of FTSE 250 joinery Howdens to step down". www.ft.com. 6 July 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  15. ^ "Andrew Livingston to join Howdens as CEO by end of the month". www.diyweek.net. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  16. ^ "Howdens Takes a Step Into the Screwfix Backyard". Insight DIY. 5 April 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  17. ^ "Howdens Joinery Kitchens". Which?. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  18. ^ "FSC Public Search". info.fsc.org. Retrieved 25 September 2019.