Screwfix Builds Bricks and Mortar Presence with 300th Store
Trade and DIY retailer Screwfix is now even more accessible for busy tradesmen on the
move across the UK, with the launch of its 300th trade counter in Birstall, West Yorkshire.
Screwfix started life as a mail order catalogue-based business, but in response to customers
needing to get their tools quickly and conveniently, a rapid store expansion has followed,
with 60 stores being opened in 2013 alone. The national store network now gives the
nation’s tradesmen, which includes builders, plumbers and electricians, as well as serious
DIY-ers, greater access to tools and supplies when on the move in-between jobs.
Meeting this 300th store milestone is equally significant given that Screwfix opened its very first store just eight years ago in Yeovil, Somerset.
This need for a fast and easy shopping experience has been boosted by an early adoption
of a multi-channel model as Screwfix chief executive Andrew Livingston explains:
“It really is a case of time is money for our customers because they are busy out and about
on the road, from job to job. So we’re doing all we can to help them buy the tools and
accessories they need as quickly and easily as possible. As we open the doors to more and
more stores across the country, we become even more convenient for our customers. This,
topped with our Click & Collect technology, mobile website and smartphone apps means that
customers can shop when they want and how they want.
“Tradesmen rely on us for the ease and speed of online and over-the-phone ordering, but
they also enjoy the store experience thanks to regular – often daily – interaction with staff,
many of whom have a background in the trade.”
The 300th Screwfix store will open its doors in Birstall, West Yorkshire, joining 8 other stores
across West Yorkshire. As the number of stores has grown, not only have such ‘hotspots’
developed, serving tradesmen operating across local patches, but expansion has also
created employment opportunities – welcome news for local communities in every sense.
Screwfix stores are open 7 days a week from 7am. Branch locations can be downloaded for
sat nav from Screwfix.com, which also lists local store opening hours. Combining trade
prices and a massive range of leading brand name items, the unrivalled Screwfix catalogue
offers over 14,000 products to tradesmen across the UK.
