2 min read - 4 Dec, 2025
Howdens begins £100m Runcorn factory and warehouse expansion
Howdens, the trade kitchen and joinery business, has started work on a £100m expansion of its Runcorn cabinet manufacturing facility.
The investment, which will take about three years to complete, will increase the size of the site by 40 per cent, from 500,000 sq ft to 700,000 sq ft, and will house state-of-the-art manufacturing machines to create one of the largest cabinet production lines in the world.
A ground-breaking ceremony at the site, attended by Howdens chief executive Andrew Livingston and operations director Julian Lee, marked the official start of the works.
The expansion supports the firm’s ambitious expansion plans both in the UK and also its fledgling kitchen and joinery businesses in Ireland and France. This has seen Howdens grow its revenues by over 45% since the pandemic, and the company entered the FTSE 100 index of leading UK companies in 2022.
Howdens has begun work on a £100m expansion of its cabinet manufacturing facility and warehouse in Runcorn, Cheshire / Picture: Howdens
The site, which employs over 450 staff, has been making pre-assembled rigid kitchen cabinets for over 30 years, supplying trade customers through its 870-strong depot network. Howdens is a 100% UK-based manufacturer, and the Runcorn site is one of five production facilities in the north of the UK. The on-site team makes more than 70 per cent of its rigid cabinet capacity of around 5 million cabinets each year.
As part of the expansion project, Howdens recently purchased the freehold of the site, further helping to secure the long-term future of Runcorn as a centre of excellence for cabinet production.
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The 450-strong Runcorn team makes more than 70 per cent of its rigid cabinet capacity of around 5 million cabinets each year / Picture: Howdens
Andrew Livingston, Howdens CEO, said: “Our Runcorn manufacturing facility is critical to our business and has been for many years. We are proud of our skilled teams who make the facility what it is. This expansion matters to the community and to UK manufacturing. Today’s investment demonstrates our commitment to UK skilled jobs and strengthening Howdens’ capability to support future growth here and abroad.”
Julian Lee, operations director at Howdens, added: “It’s an important day for Runcorn. This factory has been making our cabinets since 1995, and this investment secures our ability to keep manufacturing 100% of them in the UK for our depots and their customers. The real driver is the people here. Their commitment, work ethic and skill are the reasons we produce the best cabinets in the industry. This expansion strengthens our vertical integration and gives us the capacity we need to support a growing depot network for many years.”
