What uk distributors does

UK Distributors (Footwear Distributors) Ltd, trading as UKD, is a UK-based B2B wholesale distributor of footwear and related workwear accessories founded in 1995 and headquartered in Leicester. The company supplies a broad multi-category range — safety footwear (EN ISO 20345 certified across SB/S1/S3/S5/S7 ratings), occupational non-safety footwear (EN ISO 20347), workwear and hi-visibility clothing, fashion and casual footwear, sports and leisure footwear, and slippers — distributed under 30+ brands including CAT, GRAFTERS, SLEEPERS, SCIMITAR, HITEC, DEK, BOULEVARD, AZTREK, CIPRIATA, DUNLOP, LAMBRETTA, BEN SHERMAN and MAGNUM. Customers are exclusively bona fide trade retail accounts (family retailers, multiple retailers, sports outlets, fashion retailers, department stores, online stores, and army & navy/camping stores) with no consumer or auction-trader sales. The business is privately held with no disclosed external investors.

Name

uk distributors

Legal name

UK Distributors (Footwear) Ltd

Website

https://ukdistributors.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Footwear Wholesale Distribution

NAICS

Footwear Merchant Wholesalers (42434)

SIC

Wholesale-Apparel, Piece Goods & Notions (5130)

akta.pro primary industry

Footwear Wholesale (CRAOADAB)

Keywords

• Wholesale footwear distribution
• Safety footwear wholesale
• Workwear distribution
• Trade footwear supply
• B2B footwear distributor

Headquarters

HQ city

Leicester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Footwear Distribution: UKD operates as a footwear distributor selling to retail outlets on a trade account basis. Products include safety footwear (EN ISO 20345 certified), work boots, fashion footwear, casual shoes, slippers, hiking boots, and sports footwear across mens, ladies, and childrens categories. Revenue is generated through wholesale pricing to trade accounts with dedicated account management and ordering systems.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

UK Distributors (UKD) is a B2B wholesale footwear distributor supplying a comprehensive range of footwear, workwear, and related accessories to bona fide retail outlets and export customers. The product range spans safety footwear (EN ISO 20345 certified), occupational non-safety footwear (EN ISO 20347), workwear, fashion, casual, outdoor, sports, and slippers across mens, ladies, and childrens categories. The company distributes 100+ brands including CAT, GRAFTERS, SLEEPERS, SCIMITAR, HITEC, DEK, BOULEVARD, AZTREK, CIPRIATA, and others, supplying exclusively to trade accounts.

Product overview

UKD - UK Distributors (Footwear Distributors) Ltd is a B2B footwear wholesale and export distributor supplying trade retailers. The company operates a traditional e-commerce platform offering a comprehensive range of footwear across multiple categories: Safety Footwear (EN ISO 20345 compliant with S1, S3, S5, S7 ratings), Occupational Non-Safety Footwear (EN ISO 20347), Work Wear & Safety clothing, Fashion & Casual Footwear, Sports & Leisure Footwear, and Summer & Slippers. The portfolio spans across Mens, Ladies, and Childrens segments with various size ranges. The company distributes multiple branded products including CAT, GRAFTERS, SLEEPERS, SCIMITAR, HITEC, DEK, BOULEVARD, AZTREK, CIPRIATA, MOD COMFYS, and others. Core offerings are organized by safety standards and end-use application, with a focus on industrial safety footwear, fashion footwear, outdoor/hiking gear, and comfort slippers. The company also provides Point of Sale display materials for retail customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Safety Footwear Safety footwear compliant with EN ISO 20345 standards, featuring safety toe caps tested to 200+ joules impact and 15kN compression force. Includes ratings SB Basic Safety, S1, S3, S5, and S7 with additional features such as antistatic properties, heel energy absorption, penetration-resistant midsoles, and waterproof membranes. Supplied to trade retail accounts for industrial and construction worker use.
• Occupational Non-Safety Footwear Non-safety work footwear compliant with EN ISO 20347 standards for occupational use. Includes ratings OB (Basic Occupational) and O4 with features such as ankle protection and ESD resistance. Supplied to trade retail accounts for occupational settings.
• Work Wear & Safety Apparel Workwear and safety clothing range including military, cadet and uniform footwear, work trousers and shorts, hi-visibility clothing, personal protection equipment, waterproof membrane garments, essential safety boots, composite non-metal footwear, safety work shoes, safety gusset dealer boots, safety rigger boots, and safety wellingtons.
• Fashion & Casual Footwear Fashion and casual footwear including fashion boots, fashion shoes, formal and executive shoes, comfort shoes, extra wide fitting footwear, western and cult fashion, warm lined boots, boat shoes, and leisure shoes for men, women, and children.
• Sports & Leisure Footwear Sports and leisure footwear including wellingtons and waders, hiking boots, trekking and trail shoes, trainers and skates, bowling shoes, plimsolls and racquet sports shoes, football boots, and equestrian footwear.
• Summer & Slippers Summer and slipper range including summer sandals, summer canvas shoes, aqua and beach footwear, mule slippers, full slippers, bootee slippers, and touch fastening slippers for men, ladies, and children.
• Point of Sale Display Materials POS display materials including acrylic display blocks, A4 logo sheets, triangular display cards, and shelf slats for retail merchandising.
• Clothing & PPE Accessories Workwear accessories including safety helmets, shoe care products, insoles, socks, fitting aids, and laces.

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Arco: One of the UK's largest safety products and workwear distributors, supplying safety footwear and PPE to trade customers across industrial sectors. Closely comparable to UKD's Workwear & Safety and EN ISO 20345/20347-certified range, though Arco operates at significantly larger scale.
• Buck & Hickman (Brammer/Rexel): UK industrial and safety supplies distributor offering workwear, PPE, and safety footwear to trade customers. Directly comparable to UKD's industrial safety and workwear distribution motion, with broader industrial MRO adjacency.
• Cromwell Tools: UK industrial supply distributor carrying workwear, PPE, and safety footwear alongside tools and MRO products. Comparable B2B trade distribution model serving industrial buyers, with a broader category mix than UKD.
• Total Safety Group: UK supplier of safety footwear, workwear, and PPE to industrial and construction customers. Overlaps directly with UKD's certified safety footwear and workwear offering for trade and end-user buyers.
• Grafters (Industrial) Ltd: Industrial safety footwear brand with its own UK distribution; UKD operates the branded grafters-industrial.co.uk site as a channel. Comparable safety footwear portfolio targeting tradesmen and industrial buyers, with overlapping customer sets.
• Cipriata (brand site): Ladies' fashion footwear brand site operated as a UKD-branded channel. Comparable fashion footwear distribution, with shared branding/marketing infrastructure and customer overlap in fashion retailers.

Broad incumbents

• Bunzl: Global B2B distribution group with UK operations spanning multiple categories including workwear and safety supplies. Comparable wholesale distribution model and trade customer base, but at vastly larger scale and across many product verticals.
• RS Components: Major UK industrial and electronic components distributor carrying workwear, safety footwear, and PPE. Comparable B2B trade catalog and online ordering model, though much broader in scope and scale than UKD.
• Travis Perkins: UK builders' merchant and home improvement distributor whose trade customers overlap with UKD's workwear and safety footwear buyers. Comparable trade account distribution model, but across construction materials rather than footwear specialism.

Regional players

• Pavers Shoes: UK multi-channel footwear retailer (stores + online) selling comfort, outdoor, and casual footwear. Adjacent rather than directly competing — both operate in UK footwear distribution/retail with overlap in comfort and outdoor categories, but Pavers sells direct to consumers rather than trade.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance9 records

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 uk distributors