UK's largest kitchen worktop e-retailer plans £5 million investment

Published by

Nicky Godding

Direct Online Services, the UK’s largest online retailer of kitchen worktops, has announced a record year of sales and profits, as well as a £5 million internal investment plan.

The Gloucester-based, family-founded business has seen a 150 per cent increase in profits in the last 12 months, with an expected EBITDA (Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) in excess of £4 million in 2019. This has been driven by margin and productivity improvements, as well as the fruition of operational investments over the last few years. The group has seen a 14 per cent increase in UK sales, as well as a 22 per cent increase in revenue for its German business.

Alongside the 2019 figures, DOS has announced a £5 million internal investment plan, consisting of a new building to fulfil capacity until 2023, an investment in new machinery, and £500,000 invested in bespoke software to be able to fulfil orders quicker and more efficiently.

Started in 2008 by father and son Martyn and Will Rees, Direct Online Services sells its range of kitchen furniture through specialist online worktop retailer Worktop Express. More recently, the group diversified into solid wood kitchens and trade sales and owns a fleet of vehicles and showrooms throughout the UK.

In 2016, DOS received a £3m minority investment from BGF, the UK and Ireland’s most active investor in growing businesses, to accelerate its expansion across the UK and Europe. Since then, the business has grown its domestic capabilities as well as its hub in Germany.

Jon Shepherd, Managing Director of Direct Online Services, said: “I’m incredibly proud of these fantastic results, testament to the hard work and vision of the whole team here. In just 10 years, Direct Online Services has scaled up and diversified its offering, never once compromising on our founding values of providing high-quality products at affordable prices.

“As a forward-thinking company, one of our key priorities for the next 12 months will building the skills and expertise that we need in-house and investing in the technology to support them. Many of our employees have been with the company since it first began and investing in their future is an investment in ours.”

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.