Kitchen, joinery and bedroom furniture supplier Howdens has reported a growth in first half sales and profit.
According to its latest update for H1 2026, total group sales rose 3.3% to £1bn from £997.6m in 2025. UK sales rose 3% to £990.5m, while international revenues increased 12% to £40.1m.
Underlying pre-tax profit resulted at £122.2m, up 4.3% from £117.2m, while gross margin improved from 62.1% to 62.8%.
Howdens said that new product ranges have performed well, with the company introducing 23 new kitchens so far this year. Elsewhere in the product portfolio, in flooring and ironmongery, Howdens has extended its own-label Oake & Gray and Fuller & Forge offers with new finishes, designs and sub-categories.
Doors and joinery remain important footfall-building categories, while fitted bedrooms continued to perform well in the first half. “As well as representing a source of incremental sales and profit, the bedroom offering helps us foster customer relationships,” Howdens said.
During the period, Howdens completed the acquisition of DIY Kitchens for an enterprise value of £390m. The transaction completed for a total purchase price, excluding cash acquired, of c.£400m, comprising c.£300m in cash and 12.7m of shares valued at £101.2m at date of acquisition.
DIY Kitchens is a vertically integrated, online-only kitchen business selling principally to non-trade consumers. It has consistently delivered strong growth and impressive returns and in 2025 generated revenue of £136m and EBIT of £37m. Revenue over the last five years has grown at an average of 17% a year.
DIY Kitchens will operate as a standalone business from Howdens’ much larger trade-only business, with each focusing on their distinct customer bases with different requirements. Accordingly, DIY Kitchens will remain an online-only self-service business focused on non-trade customers, with a differentiated kitchen product range whose kitchens are made to order and displayed in a small number of destination showrooms.
The acquisition expands the Group’s directly addressable customer base in the UK through a complementary route to market and is expected to be immediately accretive to revenue, EBIT margin and earnings per share.
Outside the UK, Howdens added that sales in France and Belgium increased during the period, while Ireland also performed strongly. “The Irish market suits our differentiated, trade-only, in-stock model and the local team continues to be supported by our UK infrastructure and digital platform,” the group said.
“We are opening more depots there in 2026 and expect to be operating from at least 21 sites by the end of the year. We continue to see attractive long-term opportunities to grow the business.”
Back in the UK, Howdens said it sees scope for around 1,000 depots and expects to open around 25 more depots in 2026. All new depots are being opened in its updated format, which helps provide the best working and trading environment while also delivering productivity and space utilisation benefits in a cost-effective way.
Howdens plans to update the format of around 30 more depots in 2026, including relocations, and by the year end expect around 66% of depots opened in the old format, and around 75% of all UK depots, to be trading in an updated one.
Commenting on the half year performance, Andrew Livingston, CEO, said: “Our first half performance demonstrates the strength and growth potential of our differentiated, in-stock, trade-only business model. Our underlying operating profit margin was ahead of last year as we maintained our industry-leading gross margin and remained disciplined on costs with ongoing investment in our strategic initiatives continuing to strengthen our competitive position.
“We are well prepared for our peak trading period in the Autumn, supported by our best-ever product line-up across kitchens and joinery. The combination of our highly engaged and well incentivised local depot teams, industry leading product ranges, consistently high stock availability and the skill of our trade customers at winning work, leaves us well positioned to continue to outperform in what remains a challenging marketplace.
“We recently completed the acquisition of DIY Kitchens, which is a fast-growing, online, self-service kitchen business that is complementary to our much larger full service, trade-only kitchen and joinery model.”
