FAQ's

Why has Wolseley decided to delist from the New York Stock Exchange?: This decision is entirely consistent with our objective of simplification as it reduces costs and complexity without in any way detracting from the integrity of our governance and control procedures. The process of deregistering has been simplified following the new rules introduced by the SEC in June of this year.

As only around one per cent of our shares are held in the ADR programme and the average trading volume for the year ended 31 July 2007 was less than one per cent, we do not believe it is appropriate from a cost and administrative perspective to continue with the reporting obligations under the Exchange Act. Our business strategy remains the same and North America is, and will continue to be, a key market for Wolseley; it currently accounts for approximately 50% of Group revenue.
What is the address of your company headquarters?: Our Registered Office is at Parkview 1220, Arlington Business Park, Theale, Reading RG7 4GA in the United Kingdom.
How does Wolseley work with suppliers?: Wolseley constantly seeks supply chain partners throughout the world. It seeks to harmonise product quality and prices across its market areas through global trading and preferred supplier relationships and searches the world for Lowest Cost Country sourcing to bring value to its customers.
What are the strengths of Wolseley?: Wolseley's product and geographic diversity, its global presence in terms of sourcing and procurement, the fact that it is a world leading company and being number one or two in most of the markets it serves. We aim on average for double-digit growth in sales and profits. Wolseley is listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Supply chain, what is it?: Product Sourcing and Logistics. Product sourcing is about maximising growth and margin through product and supplier management by being the preferred channel to market for our suppliers. Logistics looks at optimisation of product and information flow, from the supplier gates to the customer delivery point.
How does Wolseley work with suppliers?: Wolseley constantly seeks supply chain partners throughout the world. It seeks to harmonise product quality and prices across its market areas through global trading and preferred supplier relationships and searches the world for Lowest Cost Country sourcing to bring value to its customers.
What is Wolseley's Mission?: To distribute construction materials and services primarily to professional contractors, industry and government in Europe and North America.
What is Wolseley’s Vision?: Wolseley creates enhanced value for all stakeholders by leveraging the considerable strengths of its individual businesses.
If Wolseley is so big why have I never heard the name before?: The Wolseley name is well-known amongst our investor community. It is a Fortune Global 500 company, is ranked 14th in the European Business Week Fifty and around number 45 in the UK FTSE 100 and fifth in the UK Corporate Governance league table. The company will not be universally familiar to all of our customers, however. This is because our strength is to operate leading national businesses in home markets. These are strong local brands that continually exceed customer expectations through wider product ranges and superior service. The brands include Ferguson, Stock, Brossette Manzardo and Wolseley Canada, to name but a few. More details can be seen in the 'Our Companies and brands' area of this website.
What are Wolseley’s principal areas of business?: Distribution of heating and plumbing products, building materials, sewage and drainage products and pipes, valves and fittings.
Where does Wolseley operate?: Wolseley has a presence in 27 countries across Europe and North America (including Canada and the US state of Alaska). Wolseley operates in UK, France, Canada, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Slovak Republic, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Panama, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago, Mexico and Barbados.