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Monday to Friday: 7am – 7pm
Saturday: 8am – 12pm
The Cromwell evolution
From one-man band to global presence
Cromwell began with one man, Michael Gregory, on Cromwell Crescent in Market Harborough in 1968. With nothing but a car boot full of saws and shovels and a bucketload of ambition.
Our first branch came just two years later. Fast forward 50 years and we are now a network of branches and offices across Britain and around the world. With a hard-working and dedicated team that always puts the customer front and centre in everything we do.
In 2015 Cromwell became part of the W.W. Grainger, Inc. family, North America’s leading broad line supplier of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products to businesses and institutions – gaining the benefit of their financial strength and supply chain and ecommerce expertise.
The Cromwell evolution timeline
| 1968 | The Cromwell Tools success story begins | |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | First UK shop opens in Wilberforce Road, Leicester | |
| 1974 | First two branches open in Bedford and Stockton | |
| 1975 | Nottingham/Coventry branches open | |
| 1978 | Cromwell Leicester relocates to Freemen's Common | |
| 1979 | Kennedy International founded |
1970 - Cromwell first branch in Leicester
| 1982 | The Kennedy Group founded | |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Group HQ and central stores opens in Wigston, Leicester | |
| 1983 | Kennedy Metrology Laboratory is founded | |
| 1987 | First 'Industry meets its Suppliers' exhibition held at Head Office in Wigston | |
| 1988 | UKAS accreditation acquired | |
| 1991 | First Kennedy Tools catalogue is published |
Cromwell Head Office, Wigston
| 1992 | £50m turnover achieved | |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | First Engineering Tools catalogue is published | |
| 1997 | First overseas branch opens in Johannesburg, South Africa | |
| 1997 | Email/Internet first used | |
| 1998 | Supply Point Vending System is launched | |
| 2000 | £100m turnover achieved |
Cromwell World Distribution Center, Wigston
| 2001 | CNew purpose built WDC opens in Wigston, Leicester | |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | First Industrial Supplies catalogue published | |
| 2004 | Apex group acquired | |
| 2007 | TED (Ireland) acquired | |
| 2009 | Australia branch opens | |
| 2015 | Cromwell acquired by W.W. Grainger, Inc., North America's leading broad line supplier of MRO products, at a cost of £310m |
Keepstock - Inventory Management Systems
| 2016 | WDC warehouse undergoes £10m restructure | |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 'Cromwell Live', our biggest Industrial Supplies show to date is hosted at the NEC, Birmingham | |
| 2018 | CSC open in West Mids | |
| 2019 | Rebrand of Cromwell | |
| 2020 | Acquisition of Task N.I. Limited, a successful safety distribution business in Northern Ireland | |
| 2023 | Deal with the administrators of our well-respected competitor Monks & Crane. The agreement saw three branches, stock, vending machines and 40 employees transferring over to Cromwell |
Cromwell Fleet - Electric Van
