How Sybron UK is targeting greener growth while prioritizing customer relationships
Family-owned business, Sybron UK (Sybron), is a leading supplier of cleaning, hygiene, and catering products across the UK from its base in Harlow, Essex. Founded in 2003 by Steve and Trevor Henwood, Sybron focuses on delivering quality at great value, creating longstanding partnerships built on a customer-first culture and strong values like reliability, service, and integrity.
“What started with just a handful of people has grown into a team of 77, running almost 24/7 to support customers across the UK,” opens Bradley Henwood, Operations Director. “There have been many milestones along the way: moving into our current Essex headquarters, completing a management buyout (MBO) to secure the company’s future long term, and introducing our own SyBio chemical range, a sustainable alternative that has become a core part of our portfolio.
“More recently, opening our new warehouse in Stafford marks another huge step forward, enabling us to extend our national reach and move closer to our goal of becoming one of the UK’s leading suppliers. We’ve also expanded our warehouse operations by introducing a dedicated night shift, which has transformed our operations. It has enabled us to strengthen our service, reduce lead times, and maintain the high standards our customers expect as we’ve grown.
“Both the new Stafford warehouse and the addition of our new night team have been crucial to ensuring our operations keep pace with demand by increasing our efficiency and providing improved service levels. Most importantly, through all this growth, we’ve retained our family culture. That has always been central to our success, and it’s something we’re determined to protect as we continue to expand.
“On the sustainability side,” he adds, “we’ve invested in our first electric delivery van to serve our London-based customers. This is part of our wider commitment to achieving Net Zero, and the start of a transition we hope to expand into electric lorries as technology develops. Alongside this, we’re on a journey to achieving B Corp certification, which is a milestone that reflects our commitment to balancing profit with people and the planet.”
Sustainability is indeed a key pillar of Sybron’s operations, especially considering the launch of its SyBio and SySoft ranges. SySoft is a range of 100-percent bamboo toilet paper and tissues, whereas SyBio is a chemical range replacing harmful, non-renewable chemicals with adaptive biotechnology that cleans, disinfects, augments, remediates, and protects a range of environments.
“Innovation and sustainability are core strategies for us,” Bradley states. “We’ve always been a dynamic, forward-thinking business, but today every innovation is made with sustainability in mind. The SyBio chemical range, our SySoft Bamboo products, and the introduction of electric vehicles into our fleet are just a few examples of this approach. At the same time, we are continuously reviewing our packaging, logistics, and wider operations to make sure sustainability is embedded in everything we do. It’s about combining innovation with responsibility to deliver solutions that work both now and in the future.”
Strategic diversification
Sybron works across several sectors, including education, food manufacturing, and leisure, but its strongest industries are hospitality and healthcare. “However, we’ve never tied ourselves to one area,” Bradley says. “Diversification has been key to our resilience, allowing us to adapt and continue to support our customers, even through difficult times like the Covid-19 pandemic. We understand the unique challenges faced within each sector and create solutions that we’re confident can deliver real value.”
With 1600 sites serviced across the UK and 2600 stocked products, Sybron’s biggest differentiator is service. “While many of the products we sell can be bought elsewhere, our reliability, responsiveness, and partnership approach set us apart. Customers know they can count on us,” Bradley states. “Alongside service, we’ve built a portfolio that helps customers meet their sustainability goals. Our Ecocert-accredited SyBio chemical range is widely used across the UK, and our SySoft Bamboo toilet tissue and facial tissues provide another sustainable, high-quality option. By managing imports directly, we can keep pricing competitive and guarantee continuity of supply, which is becoming increasingly important for customers.” 
People, products, and planet
Turning to the supply chain, Bradley states: “Our supply chain is at the heart of our ability to deliver. By owning and controlling more of our supply chain through direct imports, own brands, additional storage units, and strong supplier partnerships, we can guarantee continuity and stable pricing for our customers. We also hold excess stock in additional storage sites, giving us a buffer against unforeseen challenges and meaning our customers can rely on us for consistency even in times of disruption. Combining this with our sustainable product ranges ensures we deliver not just reliability, but solutions that support our customers’ long-term goals.”
As our conversation continues, talk turns to Sybron’s plans for 2026 and beyond. “There’s no doubt the pressures on hospitality and healthcare are significant, with rising costs and labor challenges impacting many of our customers,” Bradley shares. “Our role is to stand alongside them as partners. We haven’t implemented a general price increase for over three years, for example, because we know passing on costs unnecessarily only adds to the strain. Instead, our focus is on building long-term partnerships where we succeed together.
“In terms of trends, we’re seeing a big increase in fast-dining and food-to-go outlets, especially in London, which has driven greater demand for sustainable food packaging. Thanks to the expertise of our purchasing and product teams, we’re well positioned to deliver competitive pricing, reliability, and sustainable solutions in this growing area.
“Our priority is to cement Sybron as a truly national supplier,” Bradley concludes. “Expanding our logistics operation in strategic locations across the UK will be central to that, either through organic growth or acquisitions, to ensure we can deliver a consistent, reliable service nationwide. At the same time, we’ll continue to invest in our people, our sustainable product ranges, and our net-zero journey. Our team is the driving force behind everything we do – their passion and commitment are what makes Sybron the company it is today.”