DORMOLE TIMELINE
1972: C A Clemson & Sons Ltd owned by Arthur Clemson and John Twallin opens for business in Smethwick in the West Midlands. Now operating from Halesowen.
1974: Off the shelf company Dormole Ltd is acquired for the purpose of purchasing Kent wholesaler Curtis Holt Ltd in Dartford to cover the South-East of England.
1975: Clemson opens second branch near Pontypool covering
S. Wales. Now operating from Cwmbran.
Curtis Holt (Southampton) Ltd opens for business to serve the south of England.
1976: Curtis Holt opens a branch in Norwich to improve its coverage of East Anglia.
1978: Another Curtis Holt branch opens in Bradford to cover much of the North of England. Now operating from Cleckheaton.
1979: The ‘Toolbank’ brand is registered as the trading banner by which all Curtis Holt, Clemson and Finnie branches would ultimately become known.
1980: Curtis Holt (South-West) opens its doors in Exeter to improve service to customers in that region.
1981: Dormole acquires Scottish wholesaler Finnie & co Ltd to complete the group’s national coverage in less than ten years. Finnie also supplied some customers in Northern Ireland.
1982: Dormole exchanges wholly owned Abrafile Kleber, the Paris based tool distributor, acquired a few years earlier, for a minority stake in Denuziere, S.A.S. in Lyon.
1983: Clemson opens HTD Ltd to specialise in distribution to the rapidly growing DIY superstore sector.
1985: Arthur Clemson retires from the company.
1986: Toolbank Computer Services launches the Telxon barcode scanner designed to speed up the stock and order process for the sales team and customers.
1985: Curtis Holt acquires Rees Jones Ltd, later to become Curtis Holt (North-West), to improve coverage in that region. Now operating from Widnes.
1986: Curtis Holt opens a new branch in Bushey, Hertfordshire, to improve service to the Home Counties and North London. Now operating from Hatfield.
Toolbank launches its national chrismas promotion which remains one of the biggest in the industry 36 years later.
1989: Faithfull Tools launches its first range of cold chisels and brick bolsters, followed shortly afterwards by contractors’ tools and spirit levels.
Dormole invests over £2m in its first national computer system, a Burroughs A12 which replaced 15 regional machines.
1990: Toolbank Specialist Services opens in St. Albans to extend Toolbank’s range and service on more specialist products. Now operating from Halesowen.
1995 sees the launch of Toolbank Express – a first significant step by a UK wholesaler to provide an online proposition in support of its customers.
1996: Curtis Holt acquires the Newcastle branch of another distributor to improve its market share in the North-East.
1997: Toolbank (S. West) supplies its first order to a customer in the Republic of Ireland and would go on to take responsibility for Toolbank’s supply to the whole of Ireland for the next twenty-one years.
1999: Clemson acquires Leicester based tool distributor, C. O. Hamshaw and Sons Ltd, and expands their range of hardware and consumable products. Merged with Toolbank in 2008.
2000: Dormole acquires a minority stake in homewares distributor Home Hardware Distribution Ltd. Currently operating from facilities in Barnstaple and Bedford.
2003: Toolbank’s class leading B2B platform is launched for online product searches, availability, pricing, order and invoicing communication. Followed in 2022 by a multi-function B2B App and online portal.
2007: Dormole opens its own Far-East sourcing and quality control office in Shanghai.
2009: Dormole acquires Olympia Tools Ltd and the Roughneck range of products.
2011: Dormole acquires majority stake in power tool distributor BIZ Power Tools based in Enfield. Merged with Toolbank in 2022.
2012: Dormole targets the fixings and fastenings market by acquiring Forgefix Ltd based in Whaley Bridge in the North-West. Now operating from Chinley.
2014: Galleon Investments (Dartford) Ltd is incorporated as a vehicle for managing new acquisitions and ensuring that existing ones receive the focus necessary to reach their potential.
2017: Dormole acquires sister company, C. A. Clemsons & Sons Ltd, to finally become one company.
Dormole’s new national distribution centre, Complete Distribution and Logistics, opens its doors in Wednesbury.
2018: Dormole acquires Dublin based tool distributors Tucks O’Brien Ltd and QFF Ltd (Tucks Fasteners), the fixings specialists.
New Toolbank logo replaces its 30-year-old predecessor.
2019: John Twallin, co-founder of Clemson, and still a non-executive director of Dormole dies.
2020: Galleon Investments acquires industrial fixings specialist, Harrison & Clough Ltd, based in Keighley.
All of Dormole’s UK distribution to the 32 counties of Ireland switches to Dublin.
