Screwfix vs Toolstation (2026): Which Is Better for What?

Screwfix and Toolstation are the two largest trade-counter retailers in the UK, with hundreds of branches each and click-and-collect from stock as their core proposition.¹ Both serve essentially the same customer, tradespeople and serious DIYers who want the right product today, at a reasonable price, without the margin premium of a traditional builders’ merchant.

For many trades, the question is not which one to use but when to use each. This guide compares the two on the dimensions that matter: range, pricing, accounts, click-and-collect experience, and which types of purchases each handles best.

How Both Models Work

Screwfix and Toolstation share the same fundamental model: a large warehouse-style branch where you collect pre-picked orders or browse a modest showroom of tools. Both allow you to order online or via app for collection: Screwfix advertises click-and-collect in as little as 1 minute, and Toolstation in as little as 5.²³ Both are open early (typically 7:00 am) and late, with weekend hours that most traditional merchants do not match.

Neither operates on a traditional trade account model where credit is based on a long merchant relationship. Both offer formal credit accounts with up to 60 days to pay, and the application process is standardised rather than relationship-dependent.²⁴ Both also accept card payment at the counter without any account.

Screwfix is part of Kingfisher plc, which also owns B&Q.⁵⁶ Toolstation is part of the Travis Perkins group.¹ These ownership structures occasionally influence product range and own-brand lines, but day-to-day the two businesses are independently operated.

Branch Network and Location

Screwfix says it has more than 900 stores nationwide.⁶ Travis Perkins reports 590 Toolstation branches across the UK, plus 109 in Belgium and the Netherlands.¹ Screwfix has more branches and is often the more convenient location for tradespeople in smaller towns. Both have branch-finder tools on their websites and apps.

Product Range

Screwfix generally has a deeper range in several categories, particularly fixings, sealants, power tools, and plumbing. Toolstation competes well in electrics, lighting, and decorating supplies, and has built a strong reputation in certain product categories at slightly lower price points. For scale, Screwfix says it offers over 10,000 products for pick-up from its stores and more than 70,000 to order online.⁶

Neither is set up to supply structural materials in bulk (timber, plasterboard by the pack, heavy aggregates). For those you need a builders’ merchant or specialist supplier. Both carry:

• Hand and power tools (own-brand and branded)
• Fixings, fasteners, and anchors
• Cable, conduit, and accessories
• Plumbing fittings and pipe (push-fit, compression, press)
• Bathroom accessories and sanitaryware (limited range)
• PPE and workwear
• Sealants, adhesives, and fillers
• Painting and decorating supplies
• Ironmongery and door furniture

Pricing

On like-for-like branded products (a specific Bosch drill, a particular brand of cable ties, Stanley FatMax tape measure), Screwfix and Toolstation are usually close in price and often identical. Both run regular promotions and clearance lines that the other does not match.

Own-brand products are where more meaningful price differences emerge. Toolstation’s own-brand electrical accessories (backboxes, cable clips, conduit fittings) are generally competitive. Screwfix’s own-brand tool range spans a wide quality and price spectrum.

For occasional purchases, the price difference between the two is rarely significant enough to be the deciding factor. Regular buyers find it worthwhile to check both apps for the specific item before buying, price-checking takes seconds.

Neither store will negotiate on individual counter purchases in the way a traditional builders’ merchant branch manager might. However, both have business/trade account managers who can discuss pricing for high-volume customers.

Trade Accounts and Credit

Both offer credit accounts for businesses:

Screwfix Trade Credit Account: up to 60 days’ free credit, with payment due by the last day of the month after the month of purchase.⁴ No annual fee, monthly statements and VAT itemised invoices.⁴

Toolstation Trade Club Credit: up to 60 days’ interest-free credit, and 5% off everything with no minimum spend.²

That is the real difference between the two accounts. Screwfix lists no discount among its credit account benefits, so its value is the credit and the paperwork; Toolstation’s takes 5% off every purchase. On a busy account that 5% can matter more than the small shelf-price differences between the two.

Compare this to a traditional builders’ merchant account, where the account relationship can unlock negotiated pricing, volume discounts, and a personal account manager.

Click and Collect vs Delivery

Both offer home delivery as well as click-and-collect. Screwfix delivers free on orders over £50, and orders placed by 9pm on a weekday arrive the next day.³ Toolstation’s Trade Club includes unlimited free next-business-day delivery.² Toolstation also advertises free delivery on orders over £40.² Both also run rapid delivery from selected branches: Screwfix Sprint in as little as 20 minutes, and Toolstation in as little as 30.²⁷

For tradespeople, click-and-collect is the primary mode, stopping at a branch on the way to site beats waiting for a delivery window.

Cordless Power Tools: Own Brands vs the Big Names

Cordless is where the two differ most. Screwfix’s own brands, Erbauer’s 18V EXT platform and the budget Titan line, are the strongest own-label tools either chain sells: Erbauer kit is typically priced well below the equivalent DeWalt or Makita tools. Screwfix says its EXT 18V battery platform lets you power multiple power tools from one battery, and the breadth of a battery platform matters more than any single tool’s spec.⁸ Toolstation’s pitch is the big brands themselves: Makita, DeWalt and Bosch bare units and kit deals are often a few pounds under Screwfix’s ticket.

The practical split: if you’re building an own-brand battery ecosystem on a budget, Screwfix’s Erbauer platform is the better long-term bet; if you’re loyal to Makita or DeWalt batteries you already own, compare both apps on the day and buy wherever the promotion is: Toolstation is often keener on bare tools and Screwfix on multi-battery bundles.

Which to Use for What

The Practical Verdict

The most useful approach for most tradespeople is to hold accounts at both and use the app to check stock and price before every visit. Branch locations often determine which wins on a given day. Neither is definitively cheaper or better across the board; the gap between them on any individual purchase is usually small enough that convenience is the deciding factor.

For high-volume purchasing on a single category (a large wiring job, a big plumbing fit-out), it is worth contacting the trade account team at both to see whether volume pricing is available, but do not expect the negotiating headroom you would get from a traditional electrical or plumbing merchant.

For structural materials, heavy civils, or items outside both ranges, you still need a builders’ merchant, a plumbers’ merchant, or a specialist supplier, Screwfix and Toolstation are not substitutes for those.