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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Business
Ruby Flanagan

Screwfix planning to open 85 new stores over next year as part of huge expansion

Screwfix is planning to open 85 new stores across the UK, Ireland and France by the end of January of next year.

The DIY home improvement retailer said the UK and Ireland could see 60 new stores over the next year with France getting 25.

It added that the expansion would create 800 new jobs across local communities.

Roles for new jobs would include retail assistants, assistant managers, and branch managers.

The new store openings are part of the retailer’s target to have at least 1000 stores in the UK and Ireland.

It currently has 870 branches across the region.

It also follows a "record year" for store openings in 2022 which saw Screwfix open 87 new sites across the UK, Ireland and France.

John Mewett, CEO of Screwfix said the expansion was in response to "sustained demand" from tradespeople in the UK, Ireland and France.

He said: "These expansion plans are making Screwfix even more accessible to tradespeople, ensuring they can get their job done quickly, affordably, and right first time.

"This is a very exciting time to be part of Screwfix as we continue to grow and deliver on our ambitions. I look forward to welcoming new colleagues to our stores over the course of this year.”

Thierry Garnier who is the chief executive of Kingfisher, the company that owns B&Q and Screwfix, recently told the Sun: “We are in a good shape to be honest.

“We have no debt, we have executed our plan and there is a lot of opportunities for growth still. It is our responsibility to pursue growth quickly”.

Screwfix’s new stores will also feature air-source heat pumps to supply heating and hot water and reduce the company's carbon emissions.

The retailer runs its entire store network with renewable electricity and has been retrofitting existing stores with air-source heat pumps over the previous year.

More than 500 Screwfix stores have been equipped with low-carbon technology.

Screwfix opened its first five stores in France over the last year following a successful launch of its French website.

In March, Screwfix rescued the online spare parts and repair company Connect Distribution Services from administration.

The hardware shop bought the brand's stock, intellectual property, contracts and fixed assets of the company for £3million.

The deal also included contracts for 400 members of staff which allowed the company to continue to trade as normal.

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