Consumable Products

What Consumable Products does

Consumable Products Limited is a family-owned B2B distributor of cleaning, hygiene, and janitorial products headquartered at 180 Belfast Road, Newtownards, Northern Ireland. Founded in 1968 by Ernest (Ray) McGowan and currently led by Managing Director Nigel McGowan alongside co-owner Sharon McGowan, the company employs 20–25 staff and distributes more than 2,000 product lines across 11 service categories including washroom, Karcher equipment, office, manufacturing & industry, kitchen & catering, healthcare, janitorial, COSHH, floorcare, window cleaning, and first aid supplies. It holds exclusive 'Northern Ireland's only official Karcher Store' status and distributes branded products from Kimberly Clark Professional, Karcher, Nationwide Chemicals, and other manufacturers.

The business operates a sales-led B2B go-to-market with a parallel e-commerce storefront. Commercial customers order via dedicated account managers, phone (02891 814 818), or the website, with credit-account terms of 30 days from invoice and free delivery across Northern Ireland fulfilled by an in-house Mercedes-Benz fleet (Sprinters and Atego). Distribution is supplemented by a channel partnership with Mercury Security and Facilities Management (MSFM) extending reach into the Republic of Ireland. The company is ISO 9001:2015 accredited and a member of Nationwide Hygiene Supplies, with named enterprise customers including Queen's University Belfast, NHS Facilities, Momentum Support, and The Open Portrush 2025.

Revenue is generated through unit-pricing on consumables and branded equipment (e.g., Karcher K5 at £259.99, K7 at £369.99, consumables £5–£50), with no subscription, SaaS, or recurring licensing model — purely transactional product sales with optional credit-account billing. The company has no external investors or funding rounds, no proprietary technology platform beyond a standard e-commerce site, and has historically grown via a single bolt-on acquisition (Hilditch Martin Services in 2017) and incremental partnership additions.

Name

Consumable Products

Legal name

Consumable Products Limited

Website

https://consumable-products.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cleaning & Hygiene Products Distribution

NAICS

Chemical and Allied Products Merchant Wholesalers (4246)

SIC

Wholesale-Professional & Commercial Equipment & Supplies (5040), Wholesale-Miscellaneous Nondurable Goods (5190), Wholesale-Paper & Paper Products (5110)

akta.pro primary industry

Paper, Tissue, Wipers & Dispensers Distribution (CRAOAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cleaning Chemicals & Disinfectants Distribution (CRAOAGAB), Restroom Hygiene & Consumables Services (Supplies, Dispensers, Matting) (BPABABAI)

Keywords

• Cleaning supplies distribution
• Hygiene products wholesale
• Janitorial supplies distributor
• Commercial cleaning equipment
• Washroom consumables supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Newtownards

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales - Consumables: Recurring sales of branded hygiene consumables including paper products, soaps, cleaning chemicals, bin bags, and janitorial supplies. Customers order for replenishment needs across multiple sectors.
2. Karcher Equipment Sales: Sales of Karcher branded cleaning equipment including pressure washers, vacuum cleaners, steam cleaners, and accessories. Northern Ireland's only official Karcher Store.
3. Specialist Industrial Products: Sales of specialist industrial cleaning products, skin safety products, and manufacturing hygiene supplies for industrial environments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Consumable Products distributes over 2,000 cleaning and hygiene product lines across 11 categories including washroom consumables, Karcher cleaning equipment, office, industrial, kitchen/catering, healthcare, janitorial, floorcare, window cleaning, first aid, and COSHH products. As Northern Ireland's only official Karcher Store, the company sells branded products from Kimberly Clark, Nationwide Chemicals, Unger, and Uniwipe, and delivers free across Northern Ireland using its own Mercedes-Benz fleet.

Product overview

Consumable Products is a cleaning and hygiene products supplier offering a comprehensive portfolio of washroom, office, janitorial, and specialized cleaning products and equipment. The company operates as Northern Ireland's only official Karcher Store and distributes over 2000 product lines. The product range is organized into service categories including Washroom (toilet tissue, hand towels, soap dispensers), Karcher Equipment (pressure washers, vacuum cleaners, steam cleaners), Office, Manufacturing & Industry, Kitchen & Catering, Healthcare, Janitorial, Floorcare, Window Cleaning, First Aid Supplies, and COSHH products. The company supplies branded products including Kimberly Clark, Scott, Kleenex, Karcher, Nationwide chemicals, Dolmen, Tork, and Uniwipe, with free delivery across Northern Ireland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Karcher Equipment

Quantifiable outcome

• Free delivery across Northern Ireland
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Mercury Security and Facilities Management (MSFM)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 15 September 2020MSFM selected Consumable Products as business partner providing washroom products for Mercury clients across Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland. Partnership includes Kleenex, Scott and Huggies branded products with guaranteed under 48-hour delivery. MSFM is Northern Ireland's largest independent security and facilities management company.
• KarchercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNorthern Ireland's only official Karcher Store. Supplies full range of Karcher steam cleaners, pressure washers and other products for personal and professional use. Staff have considerable product knowledge on Karcher range. Official spare parts available.
• Kimberly Clark ProfessionalmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSupply Kimberly Clark Professional washroom products including Kleenex, Scott and Huggies brands. Products tried and tested in environments across UK.
• Nationwide ChemicalsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSupply Nationwide chemicals and janitorial supplies at affordable prices alongside Kimberly Clark products.
• Karcher UKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor of Consumable Products 55th anniversary BBQ event. Supports company celebrations.
• Northwood HygieneminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSponsor of Consumable Products 55th anniversary BBQ event.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Jangro: UK and Ireland's largest JanSan (janitorial and sanitary) wholesale distribution network with 50+ branches. Jangro is the most directly comparable peer - both operate as multi-line distributors serving B2B customers with cleaning chemicals, paper, hygiene, and equipment, differentiated by branch network scale and brand partnerships.
• Arrow County Supplies: UK-based family-owned JanSan distributor supplying cleaning, hygiene, and catering products to commercial customers across multiple sectors. Highly comparable in business model (B2B sales-led, family-owned, multi-line distributor) and target customer base (offices, healthcare, hospitality, education).
• Citron Hygiene: UK-based hygiene services company providing washroom services, sanitary disposal, and consumables to commercial premises. Directly comparable to Consumable Products in the commercial washroom hygiene segment, with similar B2B sales-led motion and recurring consumable supply model.
• PHS Group: One of the UK's largest hygiene services providers, offering washroom services, mats, and consumable supplies to commercial customers. PHS competes directly with Consumable Products in the commercial washroom and janitorial supply market across the UK, though at much larger scale with direct service rather than pure distribution.
• Nationwide Hygiene Supplies: UK buying group and distributor network for janitorial and hygiene suppliers, of which Consumable Products is itself a member. Operates a similar multi-line distribution model serving commercial customers with branded cleaning products, and provides the procurement and supplier relationships that member companies leverage.

Emerging players

• Cleanology: London-based commercial cleaning and hygiene supplies provider focused on premium office and hospitality clients. Comparable in target segments (commercial washroom, office, hospitality) and B2B sales-led motion, though operating at smaller scale and concentrated in Greater London rather than regional markets like NI.

Broad incumbents

• Bunzl plc: FTSE 100 distribution group operating across cleaning & hygiene, foodservice, and other categories in the UK and globally. Bunzl is the broad incumbent against which mid-sized JanSan distributors like Consumable Products compete; it offers similar product categories but at vastly larger scale with national logistics.
• Rentokil Initial (Initial Washroom Hygiene): Global hygiene and pest control services group whose Initial Washroom Hygiene division serves the same commercial washroom hygiene market as Consumable Products. Competes on consumables, sanitiser units, and washroom services for enterprise customers across the UK and Ireland.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Consumable Products