Howdens continues to drive its digital integration, with three in five (60%) of its customers having an online account by the end of the first half of the year and 44,000 new registrations. The company’s social media penetration has also risen, up by 13% to around 687,000 users across the leading channels and around 6.2 million engagements a month.
The figures were revealed in the company’s half-year results, where Howdens reported group sales growth of 3.2% to £997.6m or 4.3% once adjusted for the fact that there were two fewer trading days in the first half compared to the last year. Pre-tax profits grew 4.4% to £117.2 m.
Howdens said that the development of its digital platform is important to raise brand awareness, support the business model and deliver productivity gains and additional leads for stores and customers.
The growth of its click and collect service, available for everyday products, is also increasing, the retailer said. Online account customers can check the real-time availability of stock on a depot-by-depot basis.
Improved account management
To further integrate its online business and stores, Howdens is deploying a new account management tool which combines information from multiple sources and makes it available via a single dashboard. This improved digital integration allows instore staff to improve store management of customer relationships.
Howdens continues to expand and refurbish its stores, with three of the 25 stores it plans to open in the UK this year already operational. These are in the company’s updated format which is also being rolled out to existing stores.
In the first half, 14 were reformatted and around 60 will be refurbished or relocated by the end of the year. At that time around 61% of its stores opened in the old format will have the new design. The company sees scope for around 1,000 stores in the UK in total and currently operates from 869 UK stores as well as having stores in France, Belgium and the Republic of Ireland.
Andrew Livingston, CEO of Howdens, said: “We are well prepared for the second half, which includes our seasonally important peak trading period. This includes Howdens’ best-ever line-up for kitchens, available for 2025 in more colours, styles, and finishes to suit all budgets. While market conditions remain challenging, our trade customers are highly skilled at winning work in such times backed by Howdens’ well-incentivised depot teams, unrivalled product quality and industry-leading stock availability.”
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