Screwfix boss Andrew Livingston said the DIY retailer is trialling two-hour delivery slots for some of its London customers.

Livingston revealed its latest fulfilment trial at a conference last week, saying that “next-day delivery is just not good enough for our customers now”.

The Kingfisher-owned DIY specialist has been trialling its two-hour delivery initiative in London for three months but has no plans to extend the trial to other regions, Retail Week understands.

Screwfix, which has reported nine consecutive quarters of double-digit like-for-like growth, is prioritising innovation across its product range and stores as well as in its fulfilment offer.

“We’re always respectful of our customers’ needs but you have to continue pushing the envelope,” said Livingston.

The retailer is running an initiative that aims to have 20% of its sales come from products it has introduced in the past 12 months.

The DIY specialist is trialling digital catalogue touchscreens in 10 stores, which shoppers can use to browse new products that aren’t listed in the retailer’s paper catalogue.

“Our key measure for this technology is an increase incremental sales – we want it to add another element to our existing catalogue offer,” said Livingston.

“We’re always respectful of our customers’ needs but you have to continue pushing the envelope”

Andrew Livingston, Screwfix

“You hear debates within the industry about the relevance of retail catalogues for shoppers today but for tradespeople, who are our target customer, they definitely still have a place,” he added.

In an effort to drive convenience for its customers, Screwfix has also added click-and-collect booths to some of its stores.

Customers collecting products they ordered online can use the booths to alert retail staff that they have arrived to pick up their purchase, speeding up the collection process for Screwfix’s customers.

Screwfix keeps an 11,500-strong product range behind the trade counter of all of its 458 UK stores and aims to have click-and-collect orders ready for shoppers within five minutes of ordering.

The retailer is also advancing its international presence and has plans to open 10 more stores in Germany.

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