Howden Joinery Group, the biggest supplier of kitchen units to the UK construction trade, plans to continue its expansion in Ireland following the opening of its first depot here last year.

The London-listed company opened five depots around Dublin last year, with locations in Sandyford, Ballyfermot, Swords, Ballymount and Glasnevin now trading.

A further depot will open in Finglas on April 24, while two further depots will open in Dublin this year, a spokesperson confirmed.

According to the group, Howdens is also currently looking at opening in Cork this year as it intends to expand outside Dublin.

Howdens said that it plans to have 10 depots across Ireland by the end of 2023, putting up a strong challenge to Grafton Group, which operates the Chadwicks and Telfords brands in Ireland.

Kitchen supplier The Panelling Centre, which is part of the Chadwicks group, now has eight branches across Ireland.

Howdens said in its annual results that it also hopes to grow to 1,000 depots in the UK from 808 currently, including 25 in Northern Ireland.

The group said it is following a city-based approach here first utilised by Howdens in France. Howdens currently has 60 depots trading in France and Belgium.

The company reported today that revenues in Ireland were €1.3m since its first opening last April.

Howdens recorded overall sales of £2.3bn (€2.6bn) in 2022, a 10.8pc rise from 2021.

This figure also reflected a 46.4pc increase from 2019 levels.

Profit before tax rose 4pc to £405.8m (€460.6m) across 2022.

The group added that sales in the UK for the first few weeks of 2023 had been “encouraging,” with price increases implemented from the beginning of the year to “recover rising input costs.” Overall, sales in the UK were up 6.1pc in the period to February 18.

“Although the year has started strongly, management is acutely aware of the macro-economic uncertainty and therefore it is no surprise to see no 2023 guidance,” Goodbody analyst David O’Brien said.

However, he pointed to the group’s focus on “a profitable balance between pricing and volume” to recover the increases in input cost.

“While clearly early days, this is encouraging and highlights the enduring resilience of the operating model,” said Davy analyst Flor O’Donoghue.