From imported homewares to in-house chemicals, Bonningtons is driving profitable growth
Since its establishment in 1967, Bonningtons has grown into one of the UK’s leading importers and distributors of wholesale gardening, home and leisure products. With approximately 1000 products warehoused in the UK, the company supplies a diverse clientele, namely garden centers, high street retail chains, trade professionals, wholesalers and large online retailers. Its extensive product range encompasses various categories, including gardening tools and accessories, outdoor furniture, pet care items and disposable homewares. Sergio Tartaglia, Sales Director, discusses the many offerings of Bonningtons in greater detail.
“Now in our 58th year of trading, we originally started in manufacturing before transitioning to importing, supplying exclusively to B2B customers across the UK. Our broad and diverse customer base ranges from independent market traders to multinational retail groups. Over the years, our product portfolio has evolved significantly, expanding from around 200 SKUs to over 2500 at its peak, before strategically consolidating. Today, our import division operates with a focused and stable range of approximately 400 core SKUs,” he begins.
In 2022, Bonningtons re-entered the manufacturing space after owner Ian Fisher connected with the co-founders of FlowChemUK (Flow). “Our partnership with Flow marked a major turning point for our business, allowing us to expand the Flow range with a number of new SKUs by carefully identifying and scaling the strongest performers, including screen wash and AdBlue,” Sergio says. “We now supply several large key accounts with white label screen wash and AdBlue, and we have also expanded to supply a complete range of car care products, including 750-milliliter trigger sprays tailored to meet all our customers’ car cleaning needs. This spray can be used to apply deicer, antifreeze, car shampoo and car foam.
“We are continuously growing this range to satisfy our customers, and demand has quickly accelerated, particularly from national accounts seeking white-label manufacturing solutions. Our growth trajectory has been incredible as a result, with our turnover increasing from £1.7 million in 2024 to £4.3 million in 2025, and we are on track to reach £6 million for the current year.”
To support this expansion, Bonningtons has invested approximately £2 million in new machinery and recently relocated to larger premises, another significant step in its ongoing growth strategy. The company excels in combining decades of trading experience with modern manufacturing capabilities, positioning itself strongly for future expansion. Another key driver of the company’s growth has been its major rebrand a decade ago, which kept its product ranges fresh and helped attract numerous larger accounts by enhancing its visibility in the market.
Innovation
When it comes to creating new and innovative solutions, Bonningtons is primarily focused on making sure each product meets the needs of its customers. “If our clients require a product that is available in the marketplace, we can produce it as a white-label product for them. We also closely monitor Amazon as the platform usually features details of the best sellers across all the categories we cover. Within our broad range of imported products, we offer a wide selection spanning everything from gardening and homeware to catering, as well as a full array of car care products. Meanwhile, our Flow lineup, which is now officially part of the Bonningtons product range, specializes in offering chemicals for gardening, homecare, automotive and pet care. We sell this selection alongside our import ranges, some of which complement the Flow chemical offerings particularly well,” Sergio enlightens.
Flow now conducts all of its chemical mixing and filling in-house, which provides several operational advantages for the business as well as for its customers and partners. Unlike some of its competitors that outsource certain processes, Bonningtons retains full control over costs and quality. This approach allows the company to move and respond quickly to any increase in sales or customer demand for Flow products. Furthermore, the Flow range is positioned for substantial growth thanks to a strong growth strategy for the next two years, which is mainly driven by the addition of more filling lines and holding tanks, streamlined production for enhanced efficiency, and extended operational hours throughout the day when demand requires. Beyond that, Bonningtons has strengthened its manufacturing processes through the introduction of advanced technologies, such as pallet wrapping machines, bottle loading machines, and a new bulk racking system with automatic pallet moving robots.
With 2026 well underway, it is a time for reflection and future planning at Bonningtons. Sergio shares his vision for the remainder of the year and the company’s long-term future. “Our main priorities for the year ahead are to focus on all our new product lines and to explore other avenues to market our ranges. Over the next five years, we aspire to be manufacturing our own AdBlue while expanding our offerings to enhance the manufacturing process,” he concludes.
With a focused product portfolio, rapidly scaling in-house manufacturing capabilities, and a growing base of national white-label accounts, Bonningtons is well-positioned to enter its next chapter. Investment in new machinery, a larger site, and plans to manufacture its own AdBlue provide a solid foundation for growth moving forward.