Trade kitchen supplier Howdens is gearing up for a positive spring period as UK homeowners continue to invest in home refurbishments and renovations.

The business reports the average order value from its trade customers is still increasing and is being driven by over three quarters (77%) of UK homeowners who have invested in their property during the last year, according to a recent report by Money.co.uk.

The report also states over half of homeowners (51%) have cited the pandemic as a reason for deciding to invest in their property.

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Supply chain director at Howdens Richard Sutcliffe said: “The past 18 months have presented lots of challenges for the industry not least continued supply chain issues.

“However, at Howdens our priority is to minimise the disruption that this can cause to our customers, the tradespeople, and ultimately the UK homeowner.

“We have worked closely with our suppliers to help mitigate stock issues and are increasing our use of rail routes rather than solely relying on ocean freight or road haulage to ensure we are fully in stock ready for trading during this busy spring period.”

Howdens has increased its warehouse capacity and “heavily” invested in “large” quantities of stock to cope with increased demand.

Director of design, product & innovation, at Howdens Tori Summers added: “It’s no surprise that people are continuing to make improvements to their homes. After all, it’s where they are still spending most of their time in.

“The kitchen has always been the heart of the home, and as priorities have changed and spending deferred from other big-ticket items like holidays and new cars, the focus is back on the kitchen and making it the centre of attention once again.

“We know from our customers that the functionality of the kitchens they are installing for homeowners has also changed.

“We are seeing much more in the way of mixed functionality in terms of layout, and especially in creating space for working and coming together as a family.”

Established in 1995 with 14 depots, Howdens has a network of more than 750 branches and has delivered over six million fitted kitchens to the UK market.