Having opened four new branches since mid-June and with plans for another four by the beginning of September, Toolstation’s expansion shows no signs of abating. Plus the trade chain has just announced an extension to the opening hours of its branches in Scotland.

Following a busy start to June, when Toolstation opened branches in Hazel Grove, St Austell, Finchley, and Pontyclun, the multi-channel retailer has since started trading from sites in Bristol Emersons Green, Bromsgrove, Leighton Buzzard, Putney - with the most recent on the Chiltern Industrial Estate in Leighton Buzzard, opening its doors just yesterday. The new unit on Vertex Business Park in Bristol Emersons Green started trading on July 15, just a few days before a new Screwfix trade counter opened less than 200 yards away.

Keen to continue the ongoing expansion of its estate, Toolstation has announced plans for more outlets in coming weeks, with trade counters opening on Rowms Lane Trade Park in Mexborough and Bestway Business Centre in Leyton on August 19, then on Malton Enterprise Park in Malton, and London Road, Enfield on September 2. It follows news that retail parks were the only shopping location to show any growth in footfall in July, whilst high streets and shopping centres recorded declines.

The latest round of openings will take Toolstation’s portfolio to 377, with the Enfield site serving to strengthen the fast-growing retail chain’s Greater London network, where it already has more than 75 stores currently trading within the M25.

In addition, from Monday July 29, Toolstation confirmed all of its branches in Scotland will now be open from 7am – 8pm, extending the trading times by an hour in the evenings. The motive behind this is to allow customers “more time to pick up supplies and take advantage of an additional hour of Click and Collect”, said the company. Toolstation currently operates 25 branches in Scotland, from Dumfries, up to Elgin.