In 1975, Ken Yarker of ETD Tools Limited had the simple idea of harnessing the purchasing power of the stocking independently owned tool distributor. Such distributors were, and still are, the backbone of our industry but constantly have to compete against the 'Multiples' and their purchasing power. Ken felt it was time we fought back.

With that simple idea Ken approached Gordon Salisbury of Fred Males & Co Limited, Bristol, a leading independent tool distributor, to sound him out on the idea. Gordon was immediately positive and they agreed to push the idea forward.

Ken and Gordon then approached twelve distributors and arranged a meeting to discuss the concept with them. The meeting took place at the Three Horse Shoes Hotel, Rugby, hence the name - THS Tools Group. The concept was discussed in detail and resulted in THS Tools Limited being born, at that time with only four founding Members.

At the latter end of 1975 THS had only five Suppliers and the 'formulative' years were tough with the first month's turnover of real operation only £1,500. However, the problems of the early years were overcome and as at September 1980, THS had a distribution network of 39 Members and 50 Suppliers and figures showed a 75% increase in turnover against 1979.

The Company Today
In March 2001, THS Headquarters relocated from Rugby to its current premises in Rotherham, UK. Since the relocation, THS has continued to grow to become the UK's largest buying group for independent distributors and the Group now has over 100 Member companies, including Tool Trolley, equalling over 140 distribution outlets, and 180 plus 'Brand Leading' Suppliers.

THS has demonstrated year on year growth despite some challenging economic conditions and continues to flourish with the continual addition of world-leading suppliers and brands to its extensive portfolio of products. The pace of this expansion means that not all THS suppliers feature on the Tool Trolley web site - yet!

With THS, quality assurance is guaranteed and the commitment to provide the best quality systems and processes to manage the relationships between Members and Suppliers is proven with LRQA ISO 9001 certification.