TRAILBLAZERS Lawsons


LAWSONS HOLDINGS THE NUMBERS


19/20 Turnover £m Gross profit £m


Operating profit £k Net profit £k


THE RATIOS 19/20


Stockturn 6.0 Gross margin %


Operating margin % Net margin % Sales/head £k Profit/head £


Return on capital % BMJ INDEX


38.0 8.2 7.9 212


17,277 13.5


20/21 6.0


37.8 12.0 11.8 241


28,867 24.0


21/22 4.8


36.4 8.1 8.0 241


19,599 17.8 812


The fourth-generation family- owned and run Lawsons Group is based just north of London, and incorporates 19 Lawsons branches


Lords


Lords was established over 35 years ago as a family business with its first retail unit in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire. Since then, the Group has grown to a business operating from 48 sites. Lords aims to become a £500m turnover building materials distributor group by 2024 as it grows its national presence, via a combination of acquisitive and organic growth. The Group floated on the AIM market in July 2021. In 2023 the group purchased


Chiltern Timber Supplies Limited, an independent timber merchant operating from a single site in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, as well as the five branches of Alloway Timber - Mitcham, Cheam, Byfleet, Kingston and Putney - to take the Group’s Lords Builders Merchant network to 17 locations in the South East of England. Lords’ half-year trading update, for the six months ending December 31 2023, showed a robust performance from both the merchanting and plumbing & heating divisions, with record revenues of £109.4 m, and £113.2 m, respectively. CEO Shanker Patel said in his report: “Two of our brands have


LORDS THE NUMBERS


2020 Turnover £m Gross profit £m


Operating profit £k Net profit £k


THE RATIOS 2020


Stockturn 6.0 Gross margin %


Operating margin % Net margin %


Sales/employee £k Profit/employee £ Return on capital % BMJ INDEX


532


12,726 28.4


16.4 2.4 1.3


2021 7.8


17.3 2.8 1.4


569


16,191 11.7


2022 6.8


19.7 3.6 2.1 511


18,555 18.3 588


an exceptional opportunity to open new branches, expanding geographical presence whilst accessing new customers. “Mr Central Heating, our digitally led P&H trade counter business has the potential to open up to 40 new stores over the next five years. The 11th branch recently opened in Edinburgh and management has identified the additional 39 target markets for future openings. “George Lines, our specialist civils merchanting business currently operates from three locations in the South East of


April 2024 A supplement to builders merchants journal


287.6 47.2


6,885 3,611


2021


363.3 62.7


10,330 5,170


Staff 541 638 2022


450.0 88.8


16,328 9,541 880


LORDS


% CHANGE 2021 26 33 50 43 18


% CHANGE 2021 29 5


19 13 7


27 (59)


2022 24 42 58 85 38


2022 (12) 14


28 49


(10) 15


56


12-15 Hanger Green London W5 3EL Tel: +44(0)20 7466 5000 www.lordsgrouptradingplc.co.uk


Brands: Lords, George Lines, Condell Building Supplies, Hevey Building Supplies, AW Lumb, MAP Building & Civils Supplies, Alloway Timber, Chiltern Timber Supplies, APP, Mr Central Heating, Direct Heating, Column Rad, HRP Trade


Branches: 46


Branches Added in 2023: 6 Employees: 880 Chairman: Gary O’Brien CEO: Shanker Patel CFO: Chris Day (until end June 2024) Stuart Kilpatrick (from July 2024)


Merchanting managing director: Jamie Herd


England, and we have identified seven further locations for future expansion, which will expand the brand to 10 locations nationwide. We expect the first of the seven new branches to be opened in the next six months.”


Patel also confirmed that the


Group’s strategy of strategic acquisition that meets the Group’s goals of geographic and range expansion will continue. “There is a substantial


consolidation opportunity within the UK building supplies sector to combine independent merchants and distributors,” he said.


29


Member of: BMF, Buying Group: H&B


106.3 40.4


8,673 8,360


20/21


156.2 59.0


18,677 18,363


Staff 502 647 21/22


188.8 68.6


15,366 15,016 784


LAWSONS % CHANGE


20/21 47 46 115 120 29


20/21 (0) (1) 46 49 14 67 78


21/22 21 16


(18) (18) 21


% CHANGE


21/22 (20) (4)


(32) (32) (0)


(32) (26)


Tyttenhanger Farm, Coursers Road Colney Heath, AL4 0PG Tel: 01727266666 www.lawsons.group


Branches: 37 Showrooms: 2


Branches Added/Closed in 2023: 2 Employees: 800 Chairman: Simon Lawson Managing Director: Jeremy Norris CFO: Paul Rushent Buying Director: Mike Hillier Operations Director: Ricky Coakley HR Director: Allie Berry Marketing/eCommerce Director: Ciaran Morton


Turnover for 2023: £189m Member of: BMF NMBS Buying Group: Fortis


in London and the South East, ranging from Acton to Romford, and also including branches in Sussex, Hertfordshire, Surrey,


Berkshire and Bedfordshire. The company specialises in supplying building materials, timber, fencing, garden buildings


as well as specialist loft conversion materials.


In February 2024, Jeremy Norris was appointed managing director of Lawsons (Whetstone) Ltd. He had served in a number of roles including commercial director and, most recently alongside CFO Paul Rushent, as joint managing director. The size and structure of Lawsons now requires Rushent to increase his focus upon finance and legal requirements.


Lawsons Holdings also includes AVS Fencing and Landscaping Supplies, which has 12 branches stretching from Peterborough to Havant on the south coast and Ashford in Kent. Other acquisitions in the past thre years are The Landscape Centre, Oxford Fencing, Witham Timber and Briants of Risborough.


LAWSONS • LORDS• BUILDERS MERCHANTS: A-Z


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