The Workplace Depot

The Workplace Depot: workplace and warehouse equipment from a UK base

The Workplace Depot is a UK-based supplier of workplace equipment aimed at helping businesses build safer and more efficient working environments. The company describes itself as a leading UK industrial and workplace supplier, sourcing more than 20,000 products from over 120 global manufacturers. Its catalogue spans handling and lifting equipment, shelving, rubber matting, heavy-duty workbenches, kerb ramps, spillage control equipment, COSHH hazardous storage cupboards and health and safety equipment.

Free delivery is offered on all orders to the UK mainland, and the company states that most items arrive the next day. It also advertises a price match guarantee. At the time of writing this profile, the site displayed a rating of 4.93 out of 5 based on 2,733 reviews.

From catalogue supplier to e-commerce retailer

The business was founded in 1991 as Central Source Ltd., created by Ken Miller during the 1991 recession with the aim of making workplace essentials easier for companies to source and manage. It built its reputation as a catalogue-based supplier. In 2012, under the leadership of Steve Miller, the company was rebranded as The Workplace Depot and rebuilt as a fully e-commerce workplace retailer, moving away from traditional catalogues and distributor-led supply chains. The company states that none of the original business model remains.

Since that relaunch, it reports having won or been a finalist for more than 80 industry awards. In 2016 it won the ECMOD award for Best Multi-Channel Business/Brand, in a year when annual sales were up to £5 million. The company also holds BSI ISO 9001 accreditation for quality management and refers to a King's Award for Enterprise among its distinctions.

Product ranges in the catalogue

The catalogue is organised into broad families of workplace equipment:

• Trucks and trolleys: pallet trucks, sack trucks, platform trolleys, turntable trucks, retail, board, hotel, catering and garden trolleys, roll containers, dollies, stackers and lifters.
• Car park and traffic: speed bumps, ramps, parking posts and bollards, traffic mirrors, expandable safety barriers, traffic and construction barriers, impact protectors, wheel stops and dock boards.
• Premises: plastic chain and posts, rope and retractable barriers, cleaning equipment, commercial furniture, benches, bike racks and shelters, bins (bottle, grit and smoking), fans and heaters.
• Office furniture: office chairs, desks, cupboards, filing cabinets, under-desk drawers, whiteboards, notice boards, entrance matting and stationery.
• Lockers and storage: metal, plastic, kids, garment and cube lockers, metal storage cabinets and changing room benches.
• Safety and security: first aid, fire safety equipment, COSHH cabinets, spill control, safety signs and labels, PPE, rubber matting, safes and vaults, locks and padlocks, convex mirrors and gas cylinder storage.
• Cable protectors: outdoor and indoor cable protectors.
• Tools and workshop: workbenches, workshop cabinets, tool trolleys, louvred panels, boxes and containers, hand and power tools, pallet turntables, pallet strapping and machine guarding.
• Safety steps and ladders: safety steps, office steps and step ladders.
• Shelving and racking: shelving units, plastic and kitchen shelving, rack protectors, racking labels and rack bags.

Own manufacturing and bespoke options

The company manufactures mobile safety steps and access platforms at its own UK factory, and states that all mobile work platforms can be made bespoke. Its range of outdoor and indoor rubber cable protectors includes floor cable covers, cable snakes, ties and desk cable trays; the heavy-duty outdoor cable protectors can also serve as traffic or speed ramps. Beyond standard sack barrows, the catalogue includes flatbed platform trucks, scissor lifts and drum or gas cylinder trucks, while popular office trolleys include the three-shelf trolley, parcel trolley, modular platform and hand trolley.

Quality, awards and customer base

The company presents its BSI ISO 9001 certification as a daily commitment to continuous improvement and high standards. Its award record includes the 2016 ECMOD recognition and a King's Award for Enterprise, which it describes as one of the UK's most prestigious business honours. The site also lists a customer section without naming individual clients in the material available.