Direct Online Services secures £3m investment from BGF

Direct Online Services, the UK’s largest online retailer of solid wood kitchen worktops, secured a £3m investment from BGF to support its growth in the UK and overseas. The company plans to expand its European coverage across Germany and into France, increase its range of products and invest further in its marketing activities.

In 2009, father and son Martyn and Will Rees launched Direct Online Services’ flagship brand Worktop Express and opened its first showroom in Gloucester. Since then, the business has expanded its portfolio to include Solid Wood Kitchen Cabinets, deTerra and WEX Trade. It now manages nine individually branded websites, four eBay Shops, its own fleet of vehicles and has opened additional showrooms in Harlow, Chesterfield, Warrington, Redhill and Camden.

Close to 200 people are employed across the business, and sales are expected to exceed £25m this year.

BGF’s investment is being used to support the group’s expansion across the UK and Europe, where it currently operates in Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland. The company also sells laminate worktops and new kitchen components, such as sinks and cabinets to its product range, and has aspirations to become the leading online worktop retailer in Europe.