Screwfix has announced that it will be opening 35 more stores across the UK and Ireland by the end of next January, with some reported to be set for Bristol. The process will create 400 jobs, with the new openings largely being small-format city-centre stores.
The brand opened seven Screwfix City locations in its last financial year. These smaller stores feature more than 3,000 products that shoppers can click and collect, with an additional 48,000 items available online for next day collection. Kingfisher, its owners, said it wanted to focus its expansion on London, as well as other big cities like Edinburgh, Bristol, and Dublin.
Screwfix currently has six locations in Bristol: Whiteladies Road, Ashton Gate, St George, Bedminster, Feeder Road, and Hengrove.
CEO John Mewett said: “We’re proud to continue Screwfix’s amazing growth with our plans to open up to 35 new stores within this financial year. Despite the challenges facing the retail industry, investing in our store network remains central to how we can best support tradespeople to get their jobs done quickly, affordably, and right first time.”
Mewett added: “Our customers continue to be busy, and we know how important it is to be near a Screwfix store.” He said the brand would be “driving forward” with store openings and continuing to “focus on providing the ultimate convenience” for customers through the “ultra-compact” store format of Screwfix City.
Screwfix City stores also allow shoppers to use Screwfix Sprint – a new rapid service that delivers products onsite or at home in 60 minutes or less. It is available exclusively through the Screwfix app and is available from 485 store locations.
Customers can check if they are in a Screwfix Sprint area by heading to the website and entering their address. Deliveries under this service cost £5 per order, but there is no minimum spend. However, orders cannot exceed 25kg in weight and the maximum order dimensions are 60cm x 40cm x 40cm.
“As a business we’re focused on doing the right thing in the communities we serve,” Mewett said. “Through our sustainability commitments we’re committed to reducing our impact on the environment by reducing our carbon emissions and we’re proud to have donated more than £15m to local charities and not-for-profit organisations through The Screwfix Foundation.”