Open to Trade

To support our trade account holders, and our local communities, our depots are open with measures in place to serve our trade customers safely. We are also offering a Virtual Kitchen Design Service, where you can access our team of expert designers online. In-house design appointments are also available, with home visits conducted where it is safe to do so.

Trading safely

Our depots are trading with social distancing measures in place to ensure we continue to serve our trade account holders safely while following government guidelines. For more information on how we are trading safely, visit our COVID-19 FAQs.

See COVID-19 FAQs

Depot guidelines

Keeping our staff and customers safe remains our top priority. Therefore we will be following the latest government advice and enforcing the 2m social-distancing guidelines at all times. Please also wear a mask when at depot to protect yourself and others. To find your nearest depot, please use the link below.

Find a depot

Contactless payments

Payments can be charged to a Howdens trade account to limit the contact required during the exchange. You can also pay by card at a depot, or over the phone.

Working safely

Staying risk-free

For more information on how to stay safe during a home visit, or when visiting a depot, we recommend reading the government guidance found on the gov.uk website.

Visit gov.uk website

Safe working in homes

If you are in the trade, the government has also curated some useful tips and guidance on how to stay safe on the job when working in domestic settings.

Go to gov.uk

Safe working on site

For those working on a construction site, here is a link to a useful article issued by the government on ways you can stay safe on site and outdoors.

Top tips for homeowners

Clean regularly

In places where work will be carried out or visited, in high-traffic areas, like hallways, and in shared facilities, like toilets, it is important to clean surfaces with disinfectant, before and after your home visit.

Minimise contact

Limit how much contact your visitor has with objects around your home. For example, keep internal doors open to prevent them touching handles and ask them to supply their own food and drinks.

Reduce distractions

Getting the job done quickly will reduce the time you are exposed to potential contagions. Keeping pets and children occupied in other rooms and limiting face-to-face contact to less than 15 minutes will help.

Self-isolate

If you or a member of your household is self-isolating, only emergency repairs can be carried out. Additional measures should also be in place to reduce the risk of infection, like keeping vulnerable members in a separate room while work is completed.

Top tips for tradespeople

Travel separately

Travelling solo will limit contact with colleagues. If this isn’t possible, try travelling with the same people for each journey. Regularly cleaning your vehicle and ensuring it is well ventilation is also recommended.

Manage workers

It is important to allocate the same worker to the same household for each visit and task that is carried out there. This is to limit the number of people your staff and members of that household meet.

Clean tools

Where possible, tools should not be shared between colleagues to minimise the risk of infection. If they need to be shared, please ensure tools are cleaned with disinfectant after use and after each job.

Social distance

Stay 2 metres apart from others at all time, including while tasks are carried out. It is also important to ensure good hygiene is maintained throughout the day - using hand sanitiser regularly will help.

Staying safe at Howdens during COVID-19

Keeping staff and customers safe remains our top priority. We are following the latest government guidelines and carefully monitoring the COVID-19 situation, so we maintain the safety and wellbeing of our people. See more on how we are staying COVID-19 secure.

Our COVID-19 Risk Assessment

Following strict Health and Safety practices, we have undertaken a COVID -19 risk assessment to determine how we can operate, whilst maintaining the safety and wellbeing of our colleagues, customers, and the wider community. To find out more, read our risk assessment, which will be reviewed and updated on a regular basis to reflect the latest advice and guidance from official sources.