About us.
Findel is an eCommerce educational resources supplier in the UK and international schools and nurseries marketplace. We own several general and specialist brands including Hope, GLS, Davies Sports, Philip Harris, Spa4Schools, A-Z and LDA.
These brands give us full coverage in all product areas for primary, secondary and early years teaching, as well as specialist resources supply for school business managers, science teaching, PE and sports equipment. Findel’s origins can be traced right back to 1817.
Today, our brands and websites offer more than 32,000 products to customers in the UK and overseas, with the business exporting to over 130 countries. Headquartered in Hyde, Cheshire, we have distribution centre and offices in Nottingham and employ around 300 people. Findel was acquired from Studio Retail PLC in April 2021 by Endless LLP, and most recently, in April 2024, Findel was acquired by the Manutan Group, a major European B2B player specialising in the distribution of equipment and supplies for businesses and local authorities.
Manutan, a French family-owned group, has been a major European BtoB player and partner to businesses, traders, and local authorities for almost 60 years, specialising in the distribution of equipment and supplies.
Its core alliance — combining the strengths of digital technology (e-commerce solutions) with personalised services — enables Manutan to guide its customers towards more ethical and sustainable performance, while implementing a strategy to optimisetheir procurement processes.
With 25 subsidiaries across 17 European countries, the Group employs over 2,500 people and generated revenue of €946 million in 2022/23. In 2024, 15 Group subsidiaries have achieved Great Place to Work® certification.
Here’s what Chris Mahady, Findel CEO has to say…
“Our acquisition by Manutan marks the end of that journey and the beginning of an even more exciting one. Like Findel, at the heart of Manutan are values and a positive culture that guides everything they do along with an unwavering commitment to sustainability.
This gives Findel a long-term sustainable home for the future which ultimately solidifies our position and will help us to continue to develop an even stronger customer proposition.
In addition, Manutan’s leadership believes in fostering learning environments that inspire growth and innovation, so we are perfectly aligned.
By joining forces, we will leverage our combined strengths in the UK and international educational supplies sectors to achieve even greater success together.” March 2024
