The Workplace Depot began as 'Central Source', a family-run catalogue business. 27 years later, they're one of the UK's leading industrial and workplace equipment suppliers, providing premium equipment to huge retailers and companies throughout the UK and beyond. Boasting some huge brand names in their list of clients, there's a high chance you've crossed paths with their equipment without knowing it.
Despite the recent construction of two new warehouses and the production and manufacturing of their very own equipment, the Workplace Depot team are aiming to grow even more and branch out into the home market. Click here to visit the Workplace Depot website.
Ben Castell
The Workplace Depot
“Shiptheory is the best way to bring together multiple carriers and produce shipping labels through one process. Automation is easy when you’re able to combine a variety of shipping rules alongside the flexible communication with numerous printers.”
Q: Can you give us a little background about your story so far?
A: The Workplace Depot began life in 1991 as Central Source Ltd, a catalog based distributor of Industrial Products. The original business model was based predominantly around dropship stock and connecting a multitude of UK Manufacturers and Importers. We now import internationally and hold a huge stock base in our two warehouses opened in 2019 & 2021.
Q: Does stocking so many different types of workplace equipment cause any struggles or issues?
A: Industrial Supplies covers a wide and varied range of products. We have effectively split our two warehouse locations to separate small, fast-moving freight from the large, bulky and “ugly” freight that takes additional resources to distribute. Due to this, we have to use a suitable variety of hauliers who specialize in each freight profile.
Q: You guys rebranded from ‘Central Source’ to ‘The Workplace Depot’ last year. What was the thinking behind this change?
A: We rebranded from Central Source to the Workplace Depot to give a clearer indication of the business. The name gives an immediate indication of what we supply and the area that we concentrate on…we originally had the tagline of “Everything for the Workplace” which the name backs up.
Q: Your website attributes your success at least partially to excellent customer service. What would you say are the key components of excellent customer service?
A: Our key areas that we strive to excel in are our communication between clients and suppliers. We offer an exceptional next day service with a tracking system, and we also have a manned Customer Service department that is available for 8am to 6pm.
Q: How does Shiptheory help you manage your online orders?
A: Our central WMS is able to integrate with most, but not all, couriers. Each integration also has their own processes and rules, increasing the chance of human error. With Shiptheory we’re able to have just one integration and one process for all of the separate couriers that we use. This is great from a training perspective, as our team don't need to learn separate procedures for each individual carrier. We’re also able to set up rules based on weight, SKU, quantity, description and other parameters that automatically assign the correct courier to an order. Shiptheory is key to our dispatch process.
Q: TWD work with a lot of charities - how do you decide which charities you work with?
A: The decision to which charities to go with is made by the Management of the Company, with input or association with any member of staff. We have supported The Prince’s Trust for many years, along with Oxfam, Macmillan’s Coffee Mornings and Rainbows.
Q: What has been TWD’s most significant achievement to date?
A: We vastly improved our website which led to a huge increase in sales., from £1million to over £5million in less than 4 years. As well as this, we're proud of our two new warehouses that we built and furnished, allowing us to manage more orders than ever.
Q: Finally, what does the future look like for the Workplace Depot?
A: To continue to grow the business online with new products, and increase sales to the Home market. We also strive to create an exciting and pleasant working environment for our staff. If we're successful in our growth aims, we hope to raise investment within the next few years.