What Longworth does

Longworth (UK) Limited is a Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and safety equipment distributor headquartered at Leltex House, Longley Lane, Manchester (M22 4SY), founded in 1938 and operating as a privately-held UK limited company (registration number 0336890). The company sells a catalog of well over 500 products spanning eight categories — clothing and workwear, gloves, respiratory protection, eye protection, hearing protection, foot protection, head protection, and miscellaneous safety supplies — sourced from major manufacturers including 3M, Ansell, DuPont Tyvek, Bollé, Dr Martens, Dunlop, Honeywell, JSP, Regatta Professional, and MSA. The model is a standard B2B distribution business with no proprietary technology: products are listed on a WooCommerce-style e-commerce storefront at longworth.co.uk and supplemented by direct phone sales (0161 945 1333), with account registration enabling credit facilities, saved purchasing lists, bulk discounts, and free shipping on orders over £200 (ex-VAT).

The company is explicitly UK-focused with no claimed international footprint and serves multiple verticals: industrial and manufacturing businesses are the primary segment, with secondary specialist verticals including rail (RIS-TOM-3279-certified hi-vis), food processing (food-safe gloves), fire and emergency services (flame-retardant clothing), and electrical/utility workers (ARC flash and antistatic PPE). Brand portfolio breadth across premium and budget tiers (e.g., items from £0.17 up to £277.76 for HAIX boots) positions Longworth as a one-stop procurement partner rather than a single-brand specialist. The company holds Achilles Qualified Company status, indicating pre-qualification for utility, infrastructure, and rail supply chains, and has operated without disclosed external investment, ownership changes, or M&A across its 85-plus-year history.

Commercial mechanics are transactional and catalog-driven: unit pricing, pay-as-you-go billing, bulk discounts, account-based credit, and direct sales calls — with no subscription, SaaS, or recurring-contract layer. Marketing is limited to the website itself, with no disclosed presence on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, or GitHub, and no mobile app. Headcount sits in the 51–100 range, no management team is publicly identified, and no revenue figure is disclosed. There are no patents, trademarks, AI/ML capabilities, or proprietary integrations in evidence; the company functions as a pure-play PPE distributor whose assets are brand relationships, catalog breadth, and longevity rather than technology.

Name

Longworth

Legal name

Longworth (UK) Limited

Website

https://longworth.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1938

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Longworth is a UK-based B2B distributor of personal protective equipment and safety supplies, selling 500+ products from major brands to industrial, rail, food, fire, and utility buyers via e-commerce and account-based sales. Founded in 1938, headquartered in Manchester.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Safety Equipment Distribution

NAICS

Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods (423), Footwear Merchant Wholesalers (42434), Footwear Merchant Wholesalers (424340)

SIC

Wholesale-Professional & Commercial Equipment & Supplies (5040), Wholesale-Misc Durable Goods (5090), Wholesale-Durable Goods (5000)

akta.pro primary industry

Apparel & Footwear Distribution Centers (TLALAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Uniforms & Workwear Specialty Department Stores (CRAGAGAH), Food Processing & Hygienic Workwear (Coats, Aprons, Hairnets) (CRAAALAH)

Keywords

• Personal protective equipment
• Safety equipment distribution
• Industrial workwear supplies
• Occupational safety gear
• PPE wholesale supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. PPE Product Sales: Revenue is generated through direct sales of personal protective equipment, safety supplies, and workwear products via their e-commerce platform and account-based sales. Products are sold at various price points ranging from budget to premium, with bulk discounts available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Longworth is a UK B2B distributor of personal protective equipment and safety supplies, selling branded PPE and workwear (clothing, gloves, respiratory, eye, hearing, foot, and head protection, plus safety consumables) via its own e-commerce site and account-based sales. It offers bulk discounts, credit facilities for account holders, and free shipping on orders above £200, serving industrial, rail, food, fire, and utility-sector buyers across the UK.

Product overview

Longworth (UK) Limited is a Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) & Safety Equipment Distributor established in 1938. The company operates as a B2B e-commerce platform offering a comprehensive range of safety equipment, protective clothing, and workwear. The product portfolio spans multiple categories including: Clothing & Workwear (Aprons, Bodywarmers, Contamination Control, Coveralls, Firefighter PPE, Fleece Jackets, FR & ARC Flash Clothing, Hi Vis Clothing, Jackets, Polo Shirts, Shirts, Softshells, Specialist Rail PPE, Sweatshirts, T-shirts, Trousers & Shorts, Underwear, Weatherwear); Safety Gloves (Chemical & Liquid Gloves, Cold & Heat Resistant Gloves, Cotton & Leather Gloves, Disposable Gloves, Food Handling Gloves, Hurricane PVC Gloves, Mechanical/Cut & Oil Gloves, Specialist Gloves); Respiratory Protection (Disposable Masks, Respirator Filters, Full Face Masks, Half Masks, Maintenance Free Masks, Powered Respiratory Equipment); Eye Protection (Faceshields, Safety Glasses, Safety Goggles); Hearing Protection (Ear Defenders, Ear Plugs); Foot Protection (Safety Shoes & Trainers, Safety Wellingtons, Safety Work Boots); Head Protection; and Safety Supplies. The company distributes products from major brands including 3M, Ansell, DuPont Tyvek, Regatta Professional, Engel, Bollé, Honeywell, MSA, JSP, Dunlop, Dr Martens, and others. Longworth offers free shipping on orders over £200 and bulk discount options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clothing & Workwear Multi-category protective clothing and workwear for industrial, rail, fire, electrical, food, and general workforce use, including high-visibility, flame-retardant, ARC flash, contamination control, and weatherproof garments.
• Safety Gloves Hand protection gloves covering chemical, thermal, mechanical, food-safe, disposable, and specialist use cases, certified to relevant EN standards for industrial and commercial workers.
• Respiratory Protection Respiratory protective equipment including disposable masks, half and full face respirators, filters, maintenance-free respirators, and powered air systems from 3M, Honeywell North, and Moldex.
• Eye Protection Eye and face protection including faceshields, safety glasses, and safety goggles from Bollé, 3M, and JSP for splash, dust, gas, and impact hazards.
• Hearing Protection Hearing protection equipment including ear defenders and ear plugs from 3M and Moldex for noise-exposed workers.
• Foot Protection Safety footwear including trainers, boots, and wellingtons from Amblers Safety, Dr Martens, Dunlop, Portwest, and HAIX for industrial and hazardous work environments.
• Head Protection Safety helmets, browguards, and visors for workplace head protection.
• Safety Supplies Miscellaneous workplace safety consumables including first aid kits, burn care products, spill kits, eye wash, hand sanitiser, and thermometers.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AchillescoreOthersLongworth Ltd is an Achilles Qualified Company, indicating they have been vetted and approved through Achilles's supplier qualification program for the safety equipment distribution sector.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Bunzl: Bunzl is an international distribution group with significant PPE, workwear and safety supplies operations across Europe including the UK. It serves many of the same B2B customers as Longworth, particularly in foodservice, hygiene and industrial safety.
• Travis Perkins: Travis Perkins is the UK's largest distributor of building materials and also supplies PPE and workwear through its branch network. It overlaps with Longworth in supplying PPE to construction and infrastructure customers.
• Screwfix: Screwfix, part of Kingfisher, is a major UK trade retailer with substantial PPE and safety footwear ranges sold via click-and-collect and trade accounts. It competes with Longworth on price, convenience and breadth for trade buyers.
• RS Components: RS Components is a global distributor of industrial and safety products with a strong UK presence, serving maintenance, electrical and industrial customers with PPE, hand protection and respiratory ranges similar to Longworth's.
• Cromwell Tools: Cromwell (previously Cromwell Tools) distributes industrial supplies including PPE, safety footwear and workwear to UK B2B customers. Its range and target market closely overlap with Longworth's industrial buyer base.

Emerging players

• Safeaid Supplies: Safeaid Supplies is a UK online safety and first-aid supplies specialist, overlapping with Longworth's safety supplies and PPE categories. It is a smaller, niche e-commerce competitor.
• Branded Workwear: Branded Workwear is a UK supplier of branded workwear and corporate clothing, overlapping with Longworth's clothing and workwear range. It is a more specialised competitor in the apparel/branding sub-segment.
• SafetyBuyer: SafetyBuyer is a UK-based online PPE and safety equipment retailer with a multi-category range similar to Longworth's. It competes in the same SMB and mid-market e-commerce safety buyer segment.

Direct peers

• Protec Direct: Protec Direct is a UK-based online PPE and workwear distributor serving B2B customers with multi-category safety ranges. It competes head-on with Longworth in the account-based e-commerce safety equipment niche.
• Arco: Arco is the UK's largest safety equipment distributor and a direct competitor to Longworth, supplying PPE, workwear and safety footwear across all of Longworth's categories. Both serve UK industrial, rail and infrastructure customers with multi-brand product ranges.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/longworthppe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/longworth-ltd

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 Longworth