Hughes Supply

What Hughes Supply does

Hughes Supply is a U.S. wholesale distributor of plumbing and HVAC supplies serving residential, commercial, light industrial, institutional, and government customers. Founded in 1928 by Clarence and Russell Hughes in Orlando, Florida, the company operates 75+ wholesale branch locations across 12 states, complemented by regional kitchen and bath showrooms in select markets. Its product offering spans fixtures, faucets, pipe, valves, fittings, water heaters, water coolers, pumps, drainage, fasteners, power and hand tools, and related supplies sourced from Tier-1 manufacturers including Kohler, Moen, Delta Faucet, Rheem, Elkay, InSinkErator, Bradford-White, Sloan Valve, American Standard, and others. Hughes Supply also markets two proprietary private-label brands: Mainline (professional-grade fasteners, hardware, fittings, and food waste disposers) and Luxart (decorative residential faucets and stainless steel sinks), with new product introductions extended through 2018.

The company operates an enterprise field-sales go-to-market through counter sales, outside sales representatives, and showroom consultants, supplemented by a self-service online account portal that provides 24/7 ordering, custom branch-level pricing, order history, invoice retrieval (EDI/EFT), quote management, and product spec sheet access for registered trade accounts. Value-added services include on-site delivery (including 24/7 commercial water heater delivery from the Pineville hub), technical submittals and specifications support, and dedicated showroom design consultations for kitchen and bath remodeling projects. Revenue is generated primarily through hardware sales to B2B trade accounts, with a secondary professional-services revenue stream from showroom consultations.

Hughes Supply is a privately held, wholly-owned subsidiary of Hajoca Corporation — one of the largest distributors of plumbing materials in the United States — having been acquired by Hajoca on September 12, 2011 after a prior five-year period operating under HD Supply following a January 2006 acquisition by The Home Depot. The company was originally public from 1970 until the 2006 acquisition. Its current operating scope spans Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and Western U.S. regions with a workforce of 5,001-10,000 employees, and its competitive positioning combines physical branch density, century-long brand heritage, exclusive private-label SKUs, and integrated manufacturer supplier relationships.

Name

Hughes Supply

Legal name

Hughes Supply

Website

https://hughessupply.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1928

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Hughes Supply is a U.S. wholesale distributor of plumbing and HVAC supplies, operating 75+ branches across 12 states and serving professional contractors, commercial builders, institutional, and government customers with branded and proprietary private-label products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plumbing and HVAC Wholesale Distribution

NAICS

Plumbing and Heating Equipment and Supplies (Hydronics) Merchant Wholesalers (423720), Warm Air Heating and Air-Conditioning Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (423730)

SIC

Wholesale-Hardware & Plumbing & Heating Equipment & Supplies (5070), Steam & Air-Conditioning Supply (4961)

akta.pro primary industry

HVAC, Water Heaters & Indoor Air Quality Distribution (CRAOAFAJ)

Keywords

• Plumbing supply distribution
• HVAC supply wholesale
• Kitchen bath fixtures
• Wholesale plumbing distributor
• Commercial plumbing supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Aiken

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices33 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Plumbing/HVAC Product Distribution: Wholesale distribution of plumbing and HVAC supplies including fixtures, faucets, pipe, valves, fittings, water heaters, and related products to professional contractors, commercial builders, and institutional customers. Revenue generated through product sales with potential credit terms for established accounts.
2. Showroom Consultations: Regional kitchen and bath showrooms offering upscale fixtures for trade professionals and discriminating consumers, supporting bathroom and kitchen remodeling projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hughes Supply is a wholesale distributor of plumbing and HVAC supplies, serving professional contractors, commercial builders, institutional customers, and government facilities through 75+ branch locations across 12 U.S. states. The company distributes products from leading manufacturers including Kohler, Moen, Delta, Rheem, and Elkay, and operates two proprietary private label brands — Mainline (professional-grade hardware and fittings) and Luxart (decorative residential faucets and sinks).

Product overview

Hughes Supply is a plumbing and HVAC supplies wholesaler operating as part of Hajoca Corporation, distributing products from leading manufacturers including Kohler, Moen, Delta, Rheem, Elkay, Bradford White, InSinkErator, and many others. The company operates over 75 wholesale locations across 12 U.S. states serving residential, commercial, light industrial, institutional, and government customers. Its core offering consists of comprehensive plumbing and HVAC distribution including fixtures, faucets, pipe, valves, fittings, water heaters, and related supplies. The product portfolio includes two proprietary private label sub-brands: Luxart (decorative residential faucets and sinks) and Mainline (professional-grade fasteners, hardware, and fittings including food waste disposers). Value-added services encompass online account management for ordering and invoice access, on-site delivery, electronic invoicing (EDI/EFT), showroom consultations, and technical documentation support. The company also operates regional kitchen and bath showrooms featuring upscale fixtures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mainline: Professional-grade line of high-demand fasteners, hardware, fittings, faucets and more
• Luxart

Products and services

• Plumbing Supplies Distribution Wholesale distribution of comprehensive plumbing supplies including fixtures, faucets, pipe, valves, fittings, water heaters, water coolers, water filters, drains, carriers, tanks, fasteners, and well accessories to professional contractors and institutional buyers.
• HVAC Supplies Distribution

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Kohler CompanycoreTechnology or IntegrationMajor supplier of plumbing fixtures, bathtubs, showers, toilets, lavatories, and kitchen sinks. Products featured in showrooms and branches across all locations.
• Moen IncorporatedcoreTechnology or IntegrationKey supplier of bathroom and kitchen faucets. Moen, Moen Bathroom Accessories, and Moen Showhouse products distributed through all locations.
• Delta Faucet CocoreTechnology or IntegrationMajor supplier of bathroom and kitchen faucets and fixtures. Products carried across most branch locations.
• Rheem Manufacturing CocoreTechnology or IntegrationKey supplier of water heaters including gas, electric, heat pump, solar, and tankless water heaters. Pineville location serves as Rheem Commercial water heater hub for Charlotte metro area.
• ElkaycoreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of stainless steel sinks and EZH2O bottle filling stations. Products featured include water coolers and hydration stations.
• InSinkEratorcoreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of food waste disposers. InSinkErator is described as the best-selling brand in the world. Products include Contractor 333 with Dura-Drive Induction Motor.
• Bradford-White Corp.coreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of water heaters. Products carried at Mesa location among others.
• GerbercoreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of plumbing products including china, faucets, and lavatories. Products featured at San Antonio and other locations.
• Goulds PumpcoreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of water system and pump products including well pumps. Products featured at Zebulon, Lacrosse, and West Columbia locations.
• Sloan Valve CocoreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of commercial valves and repair parts. Port St. Lucie location is Treasure Coast's largest supplier of Sloan repair parts.
• Charlotte Pipe & FoundrycoreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of pipe and fittings. Products featured at Ocala and other locations.
• American StandardcoreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of bathroom fixtures and faucets. Products carried at Boynton Beach, Gulfport, Durham, and College Station locations.
• Milwaukee ElectriccoreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of power and hand tools for plumbing professionals. Products featured at Longmont location.
• T&S Brass & Bronze WorkscoreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of commercial faucets and repair parts. Featured at Leesburg and Port St. Lucie locations.
• ViegacoreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of plumbing systems and fittings. Products featured at Leesburg location.
• Wats Water TechnologiescoreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of water technologies and valves. Products featured at Mesa location.
• Sioux Chief ManufacturingcoreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of plumbing specialty products. Products featured at Mesa location.
• ZoellercoreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of pumps including sump pumps and sewage pumps. Products featured at Lacrosse location.
• Liberty PumpscoreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of pump products including sewage and sump pumps. Products featured at Lacrosse and Zebulon locations.
• Hajoca CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company since September 12, 2011. Hughes Supply operates as a division of Hajoca Corporation, one of the largest distributors of plumbing materials in the country. Headquarters: https://www.hajoca.com

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Winsupply: Winsupply is a privately held, Dayton, OH-based plumbing/HVAC distribution platform with ~250+ locations across the U.S. Both Hughes and Winsupply serve professional contractors via local branch-counter models and both are private (Winsupply also operated as a Hajoca business in some markets). Highly comparable business model and end-market focus.
• Ferguson Enterprises: Ferguson is the largest U.S. wholesale distributor of plumbing, HVAC, and related products, with ~35,000 associates across thousands of branches. Directly competes with Hughes in the same categories (plumbing fixtures, pipe, valves, fittings, water heaters) and overlapping geographies (Ferguson has heavy Southeast and Mid-Atlantic presence). Both serve professional contractors as the primary GTM motion.
• Master Halco: Master Halco is a leading U.S. wholesale distributor of fencing, plumbing, and specialty products serving contractors through a branch-counter network. Its plumbing / outdoor / specialty distribution mix overlaps significantly with Hughes Supply's residential and contractor use cases.
• HD Supply: HD Supply is the Home Depot-owned wholesale distributor serving plumbing, HVAC, electrical, and industrial customers. Hughes itself was previously owned by HD Supply from 2006-2011 — meaning Hughes and HD Supply share identical historical DNA and continue to compete directly in plumbing distribution, with HD Supply benefiting from Home Depot's downstream retail traffic.
• Hajoca Corporation: Hajoca is Hughes Supply's parent company and one of the largest privately held plumbing distributors in the U.S., operating multiple regional brands (including Hughes) across ~300+ locations. While Hughes is a subsidiary, peer sites (hughessupply.com) redirect pricing/login to hajoca.com infrastructure — making Hajoca both parent and a directly comparable platform via sister brands.
• Reece Group: Reece is an Australian-listed, multi-billion-dollar plumbing/HVAC/refrigeration distributor that operates the same counter-sales-to-trade-contractor model Hughes relies on. Reece also operates a North American bath showrooms business (acquired through MORSCO, including ShowHouse and Apex), directly paralleling Hughes's Luxart showroom strategy.

Emerging players

• SupplyHouse.com: SupplyHouse.com is a digital-first, e-commerce-led distributor of plumbing, HVAC, and water-system products, bypassing the branch-counter model entirely. While Hughes's 75+ branches serve as its competitive moat, SupplyHouse represents the emerging digital-native competitor targeting the same contractor buyer with friction-free online ordering.
• Reliance Worldwide Corporation: RWC is a manufacturer-led plumbing specialist (SharkBite push-to-connect, HoldRite, EZ-Flo) that increasingly sells direct to contractors via online and big-box channels. While primarily a manufacturer rather than full-line distributor, RWC's direct-distribution ambitions overlap with Hughes's traditional wholesale role and represent a disintermediation risk.

Regional players

• F.W. Webb Company: F.W. Webb is a large privately held, Northeast-U.S.-concentrated wholesale distributor of plumbing, heating, cooling, and industrial pipe, valves, and fittings. Operates the same trade-counter and outside-sales contractor model as Hughes, with overlapping product lines (Kohler, Moen, etc.), though weighted to a different geographic region.
• Central Plumbing & Heating: Central Plumbing & Heating is a regional wholesale distributor of plumbing, heating, and water systems along the U.S. East Coast. Smaller than Hughes but operates an analogous contractor-focused, multi-branch, multi-state distribution model with comparable manufacturer partnerships and a similar contractor-centric service offering.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hughes-supply

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Hughes Supply