What SMI Group does

SMI Group is a privately held UK workwear, PPE, and workplace supplies distributor founded in 1981 and now in its third generation of family ownership. The company serves enterprise customers across four formalised vertical sectors — Logistics, Public Sector, Food Manufacturing, and Waste & Environmental — supplemented by Facilities Management accounts. SMI's product range spans more than 25,000 SKUs covering workwear, hi-vis clothing, safety footwear, hand protection, PPE, specialist clothing, cleaning and hygiene, and general workplace products, sold through both an e-commerce storefront at smigroupuk.com and dedicated account management for multi-site organisations.

The company's technology backbone is the proprietary MY-SMI® portal, a procurement platform for organisations with 200+ employees that consolidates multi-site PPE, workwear, consumables, and workplace product ordering behind role-based permissions, approval workflows, real-time reporting, and one-invoice billing. SMI also operates the registered ROKWEAR® own-brand range — workwear, safety footwear, and hand protection manufactured through global factory partnerships audited by The Reassurance Network — and provides in-house branding services with 60 embroidery heads, 215 thread shades, and capacity of nearly 1 million garments annually. Fulfilment runs through a 50,000 sq ft national distribution centre in Fareham operating 24/7, with a 15,000 sq ft corporate HQ in Petersfield and a regional base in Falkirk (SMI Scotland, formerly Lion Safety).

SMI generates revenue primarily through hardware sales of PPE and workwear (per-unit pricing via e-commerce and contract-based pricing for enterprise accounts), with secondary streams from in-house branding services and managed services including PPE recycling through the Divert from Earth scheme, face-fit testing, and hand-protection audits. The go-to-market blends direct enterprise field sales organised by sector leads, public-sector procurement frameworks (Crown Commercial Service, Scotland Excel, STAR Procurement, TPPL), and direct-to-consumer e-commerce. Since 2019 the company has executed four acquisitions — Nusafe (2019), Swift360 (2021), Lion Safety (2024, rebranded SMI Scotland), and Contego Safety Solutions (2025) — building a geographically and vertically diversified UK distribution platform.

Name

SMI Group

Legal name

SMI INT Group

Website

https://smigroupuk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

SMI Group is a UK-based workwear, PPE, and workplace supplies distributor founded in 1981, serving enterprise customers across logistics, public sector, food manufacturing, and waste sectors through its MY-SMI® portal, ROKWEAR® own brand, and a 50,000 sq ft national distribution centre.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workwear & PPE Distribution

NAICS

Apparel Manufacturing (315), Footwear Merchant Wholesalers (424340)

SIC

Wholesale-Apparel, Piece Goods & Notions (5130), Footwear, (No Rubber) (3140)

akta.pro primary industry

Apparel OEM/ODM & Private Label Manufacturing (CRAAAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Footwear Manufacturing (OEM/ODM & Private Label) (CRAAACAJ)

Keywords

• Workwear supply
• PPE equipment
• Safety footwear
• Workplace safety supplies
• Industrial clothing

Headquarters

HQ city

Petersfield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. PPE & Workwear Product Sales: SMI generates revenue primarily through the sale of physical PPE, workwear, safety footwear, hand protection, cleaning & hygiene products, and workplace supplies. Products sold directly via e-commerce and account management with volume pricing for large contracts.
2. In-house Branding Services: Embroidery and heat-seal branding services for workwear, with capacity of nearly 1 million garments annually. Generates additional revenue per garment for customisation.
3. Recycling & Sustainability Services: PPE and workwear recycling scheme (Divert from Earth) provides sustainable disposal services. Also includes face-fit testing, hand protection audits, and scope reporting as fee-based safety services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

SMI Group is a UK single-source supplier of more than 25,000 workplace products spanning PPE, workwear, hi-vis clothing, safety footwear, hand protection, specialist clothing, cleaning & hygiene and general workplace supplies. It sells directly to enterprise and public sector customers through account management and the proprietary MY-SMI® procurement portal, and operates its own exclusive ROKWEAR® branded workwear line manufactured through audited global factory partners. Value-add services include in-house embroidery and heat-seal branding (up to 1 million garments per year) and a PPE recycling scheme.

Product overview

SMI Group operates as a single-source supplier of workplace essentials, offering over 25,000 products across PPE, workwear, safety footwear, hand protection, cleaning & hygiene, and workplace supplies. The core offering is anchored by the MY-SMI® online procurement portal, which provides real-time reporting, order approvals, and multi-site management. Their proprietary ROKWEAR® brand covers workwear, safety footwear, hand protection, and hi-vis clothing manufactured through global partnerships. Additional services include in-house embroidery and heat-seal branding (up to 1 million garments annually), PPE recycling through the Divert from Earth scheme, and account management with usage tracking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MY-SMI® Procurement Portal Online procurement portal that lets enterprise customers manage PPE, workwear, consumables and workplace product ordering across multiple teams and sites, with real-time reporting, role-based permissions, order approvals, bulk ordering, product favourites and spend tracking on a single integrated platform.
• ROKWEAR® Branded Workwear Exclusive SMI-owned brand of workwear, safety footwear, hand protection and hi-vis clothing manufactured through audited global factory partners for sale to UK enterprise and public sector customers.
• PPE and Workwear Recycling Scheme (Divert from Earth) Subscription-style recycling service for enterprise customers that provides recycling boxes and bins to collect end-of-life PPE and workwear (gloves, helmets, footwear, uniforms) and routes them through the Divert from Earth programme for responsible disposal and material recovery.
• In-House Embroidery and Heat-Seal Branding Contract embroidery and heat-seal branding service that adds company logos and customisation to workwear and uniforms, with capacity to brand nearly 1 million garments per year and a 48-hour dispatch turnaround on stocked items.
• Stock Express Fast-Turnaround Service Rapid order processing and delivery service for key stocked PPE and workwear lines, integrated with the MY-SMI® portal to accelerate turnaround for enterprise customers.
• SMI Workplace Essentials Catalogue (PPE, Workwear, Safety Footwear, Hand Protection, Hi-vis, Specialist Clothing, Cleaning & Hygiene, Workplace Safety and Workplace Products) Multi-category catalogue of more than 25,000 workplace essentials covering workwear, hi-vis clothing, safety footwear, hand protection, PPE (head, hearing, eye/face, respiratory, fall protection), specialist clothing (cold store, disposable, FR & arc flash), cleaning & hygiene, workplace safety and workplace products, sold to UK businesses, public sector organisations and individual buyers through both e-commerce and account management.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,200 PPE kits recycled and 100% branded garments destroyed securely for Equans
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Reassurance Network (TRN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Supply chain auditing partner founded in 2003, conducting two-pillar audits (Labour Standards and Health & Safety) on ROKWEAR® manufacturing factories. TRN operates in 40+ countries with local auditing expertise.
• 3McoreOthersBranded product supplier stocking 3M's range of safety products including respiratory protection and other PPE items.
• JSP (John S. Phillips Ltd)coreOthersBranded product supplier stocking JSP's range of safety helmets, ear defenders, and other personal protective equipment.
• MoldexcoreOthersBranded product supplier stocking Moldex's respiratory protection and hearing protection products.
• TrafficoreOthersBranded product supplier stocking Traffi gloves and hand protection with sustainable manufacturing practices.
• UvexcoreOthersBranded product supplier stocking Uvex safety eyewear and protective equipment.
• V12 FootwearcoreOthersBranded product supplier stocking V12 safety footwear with eco-conscious design.
• PortwestcoreOthersBranded product supplier stocking Portwest workwear and PPE range.
• Rock FallcoreOthersBranded product supplier stocking Rock Fall safety footwear with eco-conscious materials.
• Leo WorkwearcoreOthersBranded product supplier stocking Leo Workwear hi-vis and sustainable workwear.
• ClimatePartnercoreOthersClimate solutions provider working with SMI to measure, calculate and offset operational carbon emissions. SMI certified as carbon neutral company through ClimatePartner.
• Divert from EarthcoreOthersPPE recycling scheme partner enabling responsible disposal and material recovery from end-of-life workwear including gloves, helmets, footwear, and uniforms.
• EcologicoreOthersReforestation partner for tree planting scheme. SMI has planted 23,057+ trees through Ecologi with community work hours generated.
• Plastic BankminorOthersOcean plastic recycling partnership supporting coastal communities who exchange collected plastic waste for meals, education, or financial support.
• Crown Commercial ServicecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublic sector procurement framework registration enabling SMI to supply UK government bodies and public sector organisations through official framework agreements.
• Scotland ExcelcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorScottish public sector procurement framework enabling SMI to supply local authorities and public bodies in Scotland.
• STAR ProcurementcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublic sector procurement framework enabling supply to local authority clients through consortium purchasing.
• The Procurement Partnership (TPPL)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublic sector procurement framework enabling supply to education, health, and local government clients.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Ansell: Ansell is a global PPE manufacturer specializing in hand protection and protective apparel. It is both a peer (workwear/PPE category) and a supplier/competitor dynamic for SMI, since Ansell-branded gloves are stocked by SMI while Ansell competes with SMI's ROKWEAR® private label.
• Toolstation: Toolstation is a UK and European trade supplies retailer with extensive PPE and workwear ranges. Like Screwfix, it competes in SMI's product categories but through a high-street branch model serving tradespeople rather than enterprise account-led contracts.
• 3M: 3M is a global PPE manufacturer covering respiratory protection, eye protection, and hearing protection — categories SMI distributes. SMI is a downstream channel partner (stocks 3M branded products), while 3M represents the global incumbent whose pricing directly affects SMI's reselling margins.
• Lyreco: Lyreco is a major European office and workplace supplies distributor with a meaningful PPE/workwear category. It serves enterprise customers across multiple countries with a catalogue, account-management, and portal-led model that overlaps SMI's MY-SMI®-style approach but at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
• Screwfix: Screwfix is the UK's largest tools and workplace supplies retailer (Travis Perkins subsidiary) with a significant PPE/workwear category sold to tradespeople and SMBs. Comparable to SMI in product mix (PPE, hi-vis, safety footwear) but competes via trade-counter density rather than enterprise account management.
• Brammer Buck & Hickman: Brammer is a UK industrial supplies and PPE distributor (part of RUBIX) serving manufacturing, facilities management, and engineering customers. Comparable to SMI in multi-site enterprise supply, framework participation, and own-brand industrial product ranges.
• Cromwell Tools: Cromwell is a large UK industrial and workplace supplies distributor serving MRO, manufacturing, and facilities customers. Overlaps with SMI on workwear and PPE distribution to enterprise accounts, with comparable catalogue breadth and B2B portal-led ordering.

Regional players

• Reliance Medical: Reliance Medical is a UK supplier of first aid and medical supplies with adjacent PPE ranges. It competes with SMI in the workplace safety / first aid category but is more specialized, serving a narrower compliance-driven subset of the workplace buyer.

Direct peers

• Arco: Arco is the UK's largest safety products distributor, offering PPE, workwear, and workplace safety supplies to enterprise and public-sector buyers. Directly comparable to SMI in customer base (logistics, public sector, manufacturing), single-source supply model, and own-brand strategy (Arco Brand).

Others

• Travis Perkins: Travis Perkins is the UK's largest building materials merchant (parent of Toolstation and Tile Giant). While primarily construction-focused, it carries meaningful PPE and workwear lines and competes for tradesperson-level demand adjacent to SMI's logistics and construction-adjacent customer base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smi-group-uk
• Xx.com/smiworkwear
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Compliance12 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SMI Group