Howarth Timber
Howarth Timber & Building Supplies is a privately held, family-run UK timber and builders merchant operating a nationwide branch network that supplies timber, sheet materials, building products, kitchens, and landscaping materials to trade professionals and retail customers via branches, e-commerce, and an in-house delivery fleet.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- Headquarters—
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Howarth Timber does
Howarth Timber & Building Supplies Ltd is a privately held, family-run UK timber and builders merchant operating as part of the Howarth Group. The company sells a comprehensive range of building materials through a nationwide UK branch network, with many branches featuring dedicated showrooms for kitchens, bathrooms, and joinery products. Its product portfolio is anchored on timber and sheet materials (C16 and C24 structural timber, treated timber, hardwoods, CLS, PSE, roof battens, sheet materials including chipboard, MDF, OSB and plywood, Accoya modified timber, cladding, and decking), and extends into adjacent categories including building materials (blocks, bricks, cement, insulation, roofing, drainage, aggregates), gardening and landscaping (decking, fencing, paving, sleepers), doors, flooring and joinery, plumbing and heating including air source heat pumps, kitchens and bathrooms, and tools, finishes and fixings. Specialist services include custom timber cutting, brick matching and machining, sheet material cutting, and kitchen and bathroom design at selected showrooms.
Howarth serves two primary customer segments: trade professionals (builders, contractors, and construction companies) requiring bulk building materials with competitive pricing and flexible credit, and retail/DIY customers completing home improvement and garden projects. Its go-to-market is sales-led, combining physical branch retail, click-and-collect, a 24/7 e-commerce storefront, a mobile app (the Howarth App), a specialist in-house delivery fleet with free delivery on orders over £180 ex VAT, and dedicated trade account management with personal pricing terms and monthly billing. Sustainability is a stated differentiator, with FSC and PEFC certified timber sourcing, solar panels generating 75MWh annually and saving 13,000kg CO2e, biomass boilers, LED lighting, and EV/hybrid company cars, supported by a bespoke Group-wide energy management system.
Howarth Timber firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Howarth Timber
- Legal name
- Howarth Timber & Building Supplies
- Website
- https://howarthtimber.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Howarth Timber & Building Supplies is a privately held, family-run UK timber and builders merchant operating a nationwide branch network that supplies timber, sheet materials, building products, kitchens, and landscaping materials to trade professionals and retail customers via branches, e-commerce, and an in-house delivery fleet.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Howarth Timber industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Timber and Building Supplies Retail
- NAICS
- Lumber, Plywood, Millwork, and Wood Panel Merchant Wholesalers (423310)
- SIC
- Retail-Lumber & Other Building Materials Dealers (5211), Wholesale-Lumber & Other Construction Materials (5030)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Lumber & Timber Retail (Dimensional Lumber, Plywood, OSB) (CRAIAEAA)
Keywords
Howarth Timber business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Building Materials Sales: Core revenue from selling timber and building materials including structural timber, sheet materials, landscaping products, plumbing, heating, tools, and fixings. Revenue generated through both retail and trade account channels.
- Professional Services: Services including timber cutting, brick machining, sheet material cutting, kitchen and bathroom design, door and joinery sourcing. Additional revenue from dedicated account management for trade customers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard retail pricing for all customers |
| Subscription | Monthly | Trade account pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels4 records
Howarth Timber product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Howarth Timber & Building Supplies is a UK timber and builders merchant operating a nationwide branch network, selling structural timber, sheet materials, building supplies, landscaping products, plumbing/heating, tools, kitchens, and bathrooms. They operate dedicated trade accounts for construction professionals alongside retail/DIY customers, and offer value-added services including custom timber cutting, brick machining, sheet material cutting, and kitchen/bathroom design at selected showroom locations.
Product overview
Howarth Timber & Building Supplies operates as a timber and builders merchant offering a comprehensive portfolio of building materials through a UK-wide branch network. The product portfolio centers on timber and sheet materials (including C16/C24 structural timber, treated timber, hardwoods, plywood, MDF, OSB, chipboard, and specialized products like Accoya), complemented by adjacent categories including building materials (blocks, bricks, cement, insulation, roofing, drainage), gardening and landscaping (decking, fencing, paving, aggregates, garden structures), doors/floors/joinery (internal/external doors, flooring, stair parts), plumbing and heating, tools and fixings, and kitchens and bathrooms with design services. The business differentiates through added-value services including custom timber cutting, brick machining, sheet material cutting, and dedicated trade account management.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Treated Timber
Quantifiable outcome
- Solar panels generated 75MWh of electricity and saved 13,000kg CO2e in the past year
Companies that use Howarth Timber
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Howarth Timber technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Howarth Timber partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Howarth Timber competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Jewson: Major UK builders merchant (part of Saint-Gobain) supplying timber, bricks, landscaping, and kitchens/bathrooms via a nationwide branch network to trade professionals. Directly comparable in customer mix, product portfolio, and trade-led service model.
- Keyline Civils Specialist: UK specialist builders merchant (part of Travis Perkins Group) focused on civils, drainage, and heavy-side building materials via a national branch network. Comparable merchant model serving trade customers.
- Travis Perkins: The UK's largest builders merchant with a nationwide branch network selling timber, building materials, and tool hire to trade and DIY customers. Closest direct competitor to Howarth given overlapping product range, trade account model, and UK branch-led distribution.
- Wickes: UK home improvement retailer serving both DIY and trade customers with kitchens, bathrooms, timber, and building materials through a national branch estate and online channel. Comparable trade-plus-retail positioning and kitchen/bathroom design service offering.
- Buildbase: UK builders merchant (Grafton Group) operating a network of branches supplying timber, bricks, and landscaping to trade customers. Comparable in merchant scale, trade focus, and product breadth.
- Huws Gray: UK builders merchant with a rapidly expanded national branch network selling timber, building materials, and kitchens to trade and retail customers. Comparable merchant scale, product breadth, and trade-plus-DIY customer mix.
- MGM Timber: Specialist UK timber merchant operating multiple branches selling structural timber, sheet materials, and hardwoods primarily to trade. Comparable timber-led product mix and trade customer focus.
- Selco Builders Warehouse: UK trade-only builders merchant with a nationwide branch network focused exclusively on trade professionals. Comparable in trade-account pricing, credit offering, and heavy-side building materials focus.
- Bradfords Building Supplies: Regional UK builders merchant with branches across the South West and Wales, selling timber, aggregates, and building materials to trade and retail customers. Comparable mid-sized merchant model with branch-led distribution.
Broad incumbents
- B&Q: UK's largest DIY-focused home improvement retailer (Kingfisher Group) with a national superstore network and significant trade customer base. Overlaps with Howarth in product range but skews more retail/DIY.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Howarth Timber social profiles
Digital presenceHowarth Timber financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Howarth Timber leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Howarth Timber funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Howarth Timber M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Howarth Timber
What does Howarth Timber do?
Howarth Timber & Building Supplies is a UK timber and builders merchant operating a nationwide branch network, selling structural timber, sheet materials, building supplies, landscaping products, plumbing/heating, tools, kitchens, and bathrooms. They operate dedicated trade accounts for construction professionals alongside retail/DIY customers, and offer value-added services including custom timber cutting, brick machining, sheet material cutting, and kitchen/bathroom design at selected showroom locations.
Is Howarth Timber a public or private company?
Howarth Timber is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Howarth Timber founded?
Howarth Timber was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
How does Howarth Timber make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Building Materials Sales are the primary driver. The others are professional Services.
Who are Howarth Timber's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Jewson, Keyline Civils Specialist, Travis Perkins, Wickes, Buildbase, Huws Gray, MGM Timber, Selco Builders Warehouse and Bradfords Building Supplies. B&Q is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Howarth Timber have an API?
No public API is recorded for Howarth Timber.
What industry is Howarth Timber in?
Howarth Timber's product category is Timber and Building Supplies Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAIAEAA, Lumber & Timber Retail (Dimensional Lumber, Plywood, OSB). Its NAICS code is 423310 and its SIC code is 5211.