Okarno Ltd is a leading distributor of some of the UK’s must have construction brands including Gyproc, Thistle and Weber.
We offer a diverse choice of over 500 trade and DIY construction products to merchants, decorator centres and DIY retailers through our flexible service delivery options.
Okarno offers a wide range of building, repair and decorative products from market-leading brands Thistle, Gyproc, Weber, Artex and Blue Hawk.
Our Service
We’ve been supplying customers of all shapes and sizes since 1935 and now tailor our offering to match the needs of independent merchants, national retailers and online stockists. Through our flexible delivery model, customers can order from as little as a single pallet, whether that’s a full pallet of a single product, or a mixed pallet of products from across the range. Through our Gyproc Express service customers can also order a single parcel of product for small and speedy orders.
Okarno provides a unique service to its customers - we combine market-leading trade brands and deliver them directly through three service offerings. We also support our customers with various online and offline tools to help you sell the products. Our service allows you to choose from single pallets, or mixed pallet loads, through to small parcels, to help you order what you need when you need it.
Our purpose
Our purpose, to make the world a better home, reflects who we are and sets the course for our future. It calls on us to operate both nationally and locally, fully integrated with our local community to support its vitality and help build a fairer and more sustainable world. It calls on us to innovate openly, with the profound ambition to act every day to make the world a more beautiful and sustainable place to live.
As part of the Saint-Gobain group, we’re committed to becoming a net-zero carbon business by 2050. We’re leading several initiatives to reduce our environmental impact and increase the sustainability of our operations and the products we sell in line with our purpose of making the world a better home.
Okarno History
Okarno started off as Artex back in 1935 when it was the first to introduce its new textured finishes to the market. The Artex name was created with two words - artistic and texture, reflecting the creative nature of the product. By the 1980s, the company had achieved phenomenal growth, making Artex a household name. The company invested heavily in developing new products and manufacturing techniques and by the 1990s, had built the largest plant in the UK for producing decorative plaster moulding.
Blue Hawk was established in 1972 and became known for its range of DIY and repair products. Artex merged with Blue Hawk in 1997 to create a company that could better serve both the building and home improvement sectors.
At the end of 2005, Saint-Gobain acquired Artex and the rest of the BPB group, to become part of the groups construction products division.
Today, after a successful rebrand, Okarno operates as an essential supply partner to building materials and home improvement retailers. The company focuses on delivering excellent customer service, providing a specialist multi-drop distribution service, and offering a wide range of decorative finishes, building materials and specialist tools. The extensive product range is continuously developed to meet the needs of today's demanding market.
Part of the Saint-Gobain group
Okarno Ltd is part of Saint-Gobain, a worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction. As a business, Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and solutions that have a positive impact on each of us and provide wellbeing, quality of life and performance, all while caring for the planet.
In the UK and Ireland, Saint-Gobain includes some of the best-known and respected companies in the construction sector including British Gypsum, Weber, Isover, Glassolutions, Saint-Gobain PAM and Ecophon. Together they offer a range of materials and solutions that can be found everywhere in our living places and daily life, providing comfort, performance and safety while addressing the challenges of sustainable construction, resource efficiency and climate change.
