VS Series
Screwfix v Toolstation
Click, collect, compare: the trade counters go head to head
Screwfix leads on 5 of the five measures that matter most: turnover, pre-tax profit, profit margin, growth and net assets. Screwfix is the biggest by turnover at £2,659m, against £745m at Toolstation. Screwfix keeps more of every £100 it takes, £9.20 as pre-tax profit.
The year ends are close enough to compare like for like.
Accounts compared: Screwfix to Jan 2026 · Toolstation to Dec 2025
Who they are
Screwfix
Screwfix Direct Limited · 03006378Screwfix is a retailer of trade tools, hardware and building supplies, aimed mainly at tradespeople.In brief: trade tools and hardware retailer · stores, online and phone · fast click and collect · owned by KingfisherFull profile →Toolstation
Toolstation Limited · 04372131Toolstation sells trade-quality tools, building supplies and hardware to tradespeople, DIY home improvers and self-builders.In brief: trade tools and building supplies retailer · stores and online · click and collect · low pricesFull profile →The Numbers
| # | Company | Turnover | Change | Pre-tax profit | Margin | Employees | Pay per head | Turnover per head | Net assets | Bank and cash | Accounts to | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ScrewfixScrewfix Direct Limited | £2,659m | +4.7% | £245m | 9.2% | 12,877 | £28,000 | £206,000 | £603m | £21m | Jan 2026 | Single company |
| 2 | ToolstationToolstation Limited | £745m | +3.4% | £37m | 4.9% | 5,274 | £27,000 | £141,000 | £147m | £3m | Dec 2025 | Single company |
Ranked by turnover. Click any column to sort. The leader on each measure is highlighted. Movements are against each company's own prior year. Pre-tax profit is filed except where marked (est.).
Category winners
The Takeaway
- Screwfix converts the most of its turnover. Of every £100, £9.20 reaches pre-tax profit, against £4.92 at Toolstation.
- Screwfix is the largest on the top line, £2,659m of turnover, 3.6x Toolstation's £745m.
- Screwfix is growing fastest, turnover +4.7% on its own prior year.
- Screwfix is the biggest employer with 12,877 people; Screwfix pays the most per head, an average staff cost of about £28,000.
- Screwfix has the largest balance sheet, net assets of £603m.
Who keeps the most of every £100 of sales?
Screwfix keeps the most: £9.20 of every £100 of turnover becomes pre-tax profit. Toolstation keeps the least, £4.92.
Every profit figure here is the one the company filed.
The chart splits each company's turnover into £100: what goes on people, on interest and on everything else, and what is left as profit.
Out of every £100 of turnover
Each column is £100 of that company's own turnover, so companies of any size compare on one scale; the figures are pounds out of each £100, not millions. Companies run from the best margin to the worst. Payroll is staff costs, financing is interest paid, other running costs are everything else, and profit is pre-tax profit, filed or estimated as marked in the table. A loss is not an extra cost: it is the part of the costs that runs past the £100 line, marked with a red bracket. Hover over any segment for its figure.
Who is the biggest, and does the comparison hold?
By turnover the order is Screwfix (£2,659m), Toolstation (£745m).
By headcount, Screwfix leads with 12,877 employees.
The accounting periods all end within 1 month of each other. All are on the same filing basis.
Turnover on the latest filing
Who is growing fastest?
Screwfix grew fastest, turnover +4.7% on its own prior year, ahead of Toolstation (+3.4%).
Turnover change on each company's own prior year
Who employs the most, who pays the most, and who brings in the most per head?
Screwfix employs the most, 12,877 people, against 5,274 at Toolstation.
Screwfix has the highest average staff cost, about £28,000 a head; Toolstation the lowest, about £27,000.
Screwfix brings in the most turnover per employee, about £206,000, against £141,000 at Toolstation. It says as much about the business model as the workforce: a marketplace or a wholesaler needs far fewer people per pound than a restaurant or a gym.
Who owns each one?
Ownership as recorded on the Companies House register of people with significant control, in the bands the register uses.
Held by Kingfisher International Holdings Limited
A company recorded as a person with significant control.
Who owns Screwfix →
Toolstation Limited · 04372131Held by Toolstation Holdings Limited
A company recorded as a person with significant control. 2 outstanding charges on the register.
Who owns Toolstation →
What does the full ledger show?
| Measure | Screwfix | Toolstation |
|---|---|---|
| Registered name | SCREWFIX DIRECT LIMITED | TOOLSTATION LIMITED |
| Company number | 03006378 | 04372131 |
| Incorporated | 1995 | 2002 |
| Accounts filed | 28 July 2026 | 21 June 2026 |
| Turnover, prior year | £2,539m | £720m |
| Pre-tax profit, prior year | £220m | £20m |
| Staff costs | £356m | £142m |
| Payroll share of turnover | 13.4% | 19.1% |
| Employees, prior year | 12,992 | 5,243 |
| Dividends paid | £350m | £21m |
| Charges outstanding | 0 | 2 |
A figure the filing does not disclose is shown as n/d; a zero in a filing is treated as not disclosed. Rounding: below £0.1m in thousands, £0.1m to £2m to one decimal place, above that to the nearest million.
Screwfix v Toolstation: common questions
Who is the biggest of Screwfix or Toolstation?
Screwfix, with turnover of £2,659m in the year to January 2026.
Which makes the most profit?
Screwfix: £245m pre-tax in the year to January 2026.
Which employs the most people?
Screwfix, with 12,877 employees in its latest accounts.
Screwfix or Toolstation: which is bigger?
Screwfix, with turnover of £2,659m against £745m at Toolstation on their latest filings. On margin, Screwfix keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit. The full head to head is in the VS Series. Read the VS page →
Where do these figures come from?
Each company's latest accounts filed at Companies House. Each links to its full Spark Intel profile, which names the filing it comes from.