Formed in 1974 by husband and wife team Alan and Carole Hopkins, Alca Tools is very much still a family affair 40 years on.
Alca Tools has grown from Alan and Carole working from their front room to having a shop in Mortimer Street, Herne Bay in Kent, where it has been since 1991.

Alan has worked hard to build a lasting relationship with suppliers over the past 40 years so that he can provide the tradesmen of Kent with the best tools and other products.

This entrepreneurial streak did not just stop at wanting to run his own business, as in 1986 Alan got together with three other like-minded entrepreneurs and formed Troy UK - a buying group for independent UK tool distributors.

Over the years the business grew to having 120 members. Alan and the other owners sold the company around four years ago, so they could concentrate on other affairs. Alca Tools still remains a member of Troy UK.

And now Mr Hopkins and his wife have taken more of a back seat role, their two sons Steven and Andrew, who have been in the business 20 years, are continuing to provide the best service they can.

Now the company has marked its 40th anniversary, Andrew has revealed big plans for the future of Alca Tools, which include optimising the use of social media, launching a new website and recruiting four new members of staff to take the company to 12 employees.

He said: "We are proud of where we have come from and where we are going. My dad has a level of experience you can't replace, so we are trying to learn from him.

"The key for us is to know a little bit about a lot of things. We have a good relationship with all of our suppliers, which means we have a good support network for our customers."

Read more about Alca Tools in DIY Week's new Independent Focus out August 22