Axminster Tools has not only established itself as a market leader in the mail order tools and machinery industry but it is also our mission to be a quality employer.
We believe the key to our success lies in our culture
Our aim is not only to run an exceptionally successful business, but also to be a first class employer that offers a competitive and attractive benefit package which retains and motivates our staff.
Having a modern and friendly environment for our workforce is at the heart of our company; we encourage all staff to be ambitious and we have a strong learning and development ethos together with a wellbeing programme to support our employee’s lifestyles.
We continually look for motivated and committed people that can share the passion of our customers by offering trusted product knowledge (should the role require) and a service that they deserve.
We are keen advocates of growing our own people and promoting from within whether it is a move sideways or upwards; we want people who strive for excellence and are excited to be a part of what we are making!
Axminster Tools was recognised as a Top 100 Internet Retailers in the RetailX UK Top 500 (2023) and has a Trustpilot Trustscore based on customer feedback of 9.7 out of 10. For more information on our Company and it's Corporate Social Responsibility please click here.
We are accredited by the Good Business Charter and work hard to provide a fair, inclusive and positive environment through our culture and living by the GBC components. We are an accredited Living Wage employer. We are also proud to be a Heart of the South West Careers Hub Cornerstone Employer.
Did you know we have many exciting business areas within the Company, each one playing a vital role in the Company’s success. Many of our roles don't require any knowledge of tools and machinery! Why not take a look at some of our departments and see where you fit in...
Our ethos is that our employees are key to the Company's success; therefore, we believe that investing heavily in developing staff helps to achieve our Company Values. Explore the sections below to find out more...
Pension
The company operates an automatic enrolment pension scheme with Aviva that all employees are enrolled in after 3 months service.
Holiday
Annual holiday entitlement is 31 days. After two years with us, this will increase to 33 days. This is inclusive of usual bank holidays and entitlements will be calculated on a pro rata basis for those employees who work part time.
Duvet Days
The duvet day policy allows you to take a single paid day off work, up to a maximum of two a year, without advance written notice. Employees are not required to state any reason for wanting to take a day off work.
Hybrid Working
The hybrid working policy was created to support the relevant teams with working from home for a proportion of the working week.
Flexible Working
Providing an employee qualifies and has caring responsibilities, they are entitled to request a flexible working arrangement, on a permanent basis, in terms of changes to hours, location and pattern to work, to enable them to care for a child or adult.
Maternity, Adoption & Paternity
Axminster Tools provides enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity benefits exceeding the statutory provision. After one year of service, maternity and adoption leave is 12 weeks of full pay followed by 27 weeks of statutory pay. Paternity leave is two weeks full pay.
Sick Scheme
After one year's service the Company may, at its absolute discretion, provide an additional benefit over and above any entitlement to Statutory Sick Pay for absence due to sickness. A maximum of 12 weeks' sickness pay is payable in any 12 month period.
Compassionate Leave
Compassionate leave is two weeks full pay and covers the loss/end of life care of a parent, grandparent, partner, sibling, child or pregnancy.
Wellbeing Programme
We are committed to improving employee's working lives and provides many initiatives to support them, such as free flu jabs, medical health check, an online portal with supporting guidance to health, a financial wellbeing scheme as well as a support to employees who wish to raise funds for charities.
Learning & Development
Employees are encouraged to use 5% of the working week for their own learning and development.
Shouts!
Where a line manager feels that an employee has demonstrated any of our Company Values they can give a Shout! This could earn the employee a prize including 2 extra days holiday!
Free Eye Tests
An employee who uses a display screen full time is entitled to a free eye test. Under some circumstances the company will contribute towards the cost of the lenses.
Gym Membership
Gym Discount is available for all staff.
Showers
The company have many showers for staff to use at any time. This is great for employees who wish to cycle or run to and from work or indulge some exercise during their lunch hour.
Cycle Scheme
Government scheme – allows employees to purchase a bicycle through Axminster and save up to 50% on the recommended retail price.
Green Travel
In line with our environmental objective to reduce our carbon footprint, we offer employees a Green Travel payment of 50p per journey when they travel to work in a green way.
Staff Account
Employees of Axminster Tools can receive discount upon company goods. We have also teamed up with some other companies whereby employees of Axminster can receive discount on their products or services.
Free Fruit
A benefit that entitles all staff to a selection of fruit, free of charge, every day.
Parking
Free on-site parking at our offices, warehouses and stores.
No vacancies currently available, please check again soon
With approximately 50 personnel working in our Warehouse, we rely on a structure where everyone works as one team. From our automated picking and packing areas to our stock control, each and everyone’s passion and commitment means our customers receive their products on time and in perfect condition. Having our own logistics department ensures our machinery is delivered to our customers workshops in good order and with a delivery service that they would expect.
Our in-house Engineering department is an exciting, ever-growing sector of the company. It’s been said that UK manufacturing in the recent year has reduced but our engineering department prove time and again that the industry is very much alive by producing great quality tools that customers love. Dedicated to designing, developing and manufacturing innovative tools, our Engineering team work closely with our New Product Development team to ensure they have the opportunity to be innovative and passionate about what they make.
Designing tools in-house allows us to make exclusive products that can’t be found anywhere else and gives us a unique offering within the market. The Company has invested heavily in this area and now houses an impressive facility of some of the latest CNC machinery. These are exciting times for the department as it continues to grow and have an ever more important role within the business.
Before taking this role I described it as my dream job, years later I still feel the same. With huge advances being made not only in the machinery we use but also in the facilities for people and the training the company provides
Jake, Head Engineer
We pride ourselves on having a reputation for providing exceptional after sales service and the Servicing department plays a key role in providing this service. With a wealth of knowledge and experience, our Servicing team are always prepared for a variety of daily tasks, from inspecting or repairing products to visiting our customers on a site, it is a department where no day is the same.
An exciting area of the business, as a company we pride ourselves on putting the customers at the heart of everything we do. Our Sales department covers a wide variety of teams. This includes a Contact Centre and a Business Services team who provide advice for customers from education, trade and business sectors, as well as craft users. There’s also an After Sales team, who have a wealth of expertise that should anything go wrong then customers know they can get it fixed. Plus, with an ever-growing worldwide customer base, we have an in-house Export team to provide help and service to customers in over 200 countries.
With six stores across the country, our stores are at the forefront of what we do. Not only are they our showrooms, demonstrating what our business is about but they also enable our customers to interact with us on a face to face basis. Our team of retail sales advisors are not just passionate about the tools we sell, they receive ongoing training to expand their knowledge which they can pass on to our customers. We know our display of tools makes it tempting for both loyal and prospective customers, you can’t really walk out of our stores without buying something!
We have an ever expanding team of super creative people who display their talent in design and writing as well as exploring and participating in the world of social media. We aim to target multiple marketing channels in order to engage with our customers, whether it be an email, print advert, in-store poster, banner on our website or a newsletter to our Education customers. We understand that all our customers are different and strive to create and design content for all. Plus, we are passionate about sharing expert knowledge by both ourselves and local makers on Woodworking Wisdom.
We have a large team of Supply Chain Buyers and Product Managers who are key to our business. The two teams work closely together and with other departments to ensure we’re selecting products that meet the needs of the customer. Having quality tools that perform to the standards that customers need them to is vital for the business. Each and every product is carefully reviewed by the Product Management team to ensure we deliver tools of the quality our customers expect.
With over 14,000 product lines, the Supply Chain team have the challenge of keeping on top of all these and making sure they’re in stock. They follow the life cycle of all our products, continually analysing when new stock is needed to keep our product range up to date.
Our in-house Web Development team are passionate and proud to create a website that showcases our company online. Whether it’s looking at an issue, a way to improve our current website or creating a brand new website, our web developers work hard to make shopping online easy and enjoyable for our customers.
Being part of the Web team allows me to develop new functionality and fix issues on one of the IRUK Top 100 websites which is both exciting and scary at the same time! As a team we are always looking for ways to use the latest technologies to make our websites the best they can be which creates great opportunities to try out something new and learn new skills
Phil, Senior Web Developer
Our Accounts team are experts in their field and very passionate about what they do especially in supporting each other as well as the business and departments.
As we are a family company, we work hard towards ensuring that every staff member feels part of the Company and we support them during their employment. Being a small team, not any one day is the same but we work very hard to retain our staff and ensure that we facilitate progression and development into every day operations.
The Technology department provides and maintains technology to enable the business to meet its objectives and drives change to exceed internal and external customer expectations. The small team utilises cutting-edge innovations such as cloud technology to improve order fulfillment, logistics, communications and customer service.
I love working in the Technology department as it's so varied and every day brings a new challenge, it also provides me with the opportunity to try new tech and systems and bring them into the business
Damion, IT Manager
Our Customer Support Team are the first point of contact for our customers. They provide information about our products and services, take orders, respond to customer questions or issues, process returns and more. We pride ourselves on our reputation for offering a truly first class customer service. Our team are excellent at communication, always willing to help and work proactively to delight our customers.
The Customer Support Team work across many contact channels from traditional phone and email to newer digital methods of enquiry like social media to ensure we meet our customer expectations.