Our History

Danesmoor Group is an independent, family business. Now in its fifth generation, we are justifiably proud of our heritage and our development into a market leading, multidimensional organisation.

Established in 1909, when Percy W Stephenson opened a hardware store in Darlington, County Durham, the company epitomised the entrepreneurial drive of so many Northern family businesses of the era. Historically, Darlington was one of the most important towns in the UK for engineering, railways, manufacturing and joinery, and served as a vital transport link with the rest of the country, so the business was very well positioned.

Percy W Stephenson & Son continued operating uninterrupted through two world wars, and as demand grew, the business branched into ceramics, architectural ironmongery and joinery services, which eventually led to the supply of kitchen componentry and furniture to the trade. This soon became our main enterprise, which led to the opening of a new arm of the business, PWS Distributors Ltd in the 1980s.

As one of the largest kitchen component suppliers to a burgeoning kitchen trade, partnerships were established with the best product manufacturers in the world, particularly in Europe. Exciting new materials and colours were driving the market, influenced by interior designers and stylists, and with this came opportunities. The Danesmoor Agency grew out of PWS Distributors under Mark Stephenson (current group CEO and great, grandson of Percy Stephenson) and eventually became an independent division, providing specialist buying and marketing services to manufacturers, suppliers and the trade.

Whilst the 2000s saw a boom in property and interiors, despite a challenging economic climate, the business continued to expand. Following the acquisition of the whole business by Mark Stephenson in 2007, a holding company, Danesmoor Group, was formed, incorporating all the PWS operations and The Danesmoor Agency under one group umbrella.

Since then, Danesmoor Group has followed an ambitious strategy of largely organic and some acquisitive growth, underpinned by significant investment in infrastructure, innovation and manufacturing, including: the development of one of the largest independent worksurfaces fabrication plants in the UK; one of the most advanced automated paint finishing facilities in Europe; two market leading design centres; a kitchen cabinet manufacturing facility and the Life Kitchens for Living retail business.

The Danesmoor Group is a fifth generation family business. It is a business here yesterday, here today and here for tomorrow.

We are proud holders of the Planet Mark

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