In a tiny, windowless back office, Mr Dan Ebdon is hunched over a computer screen. "I'm trying to find a Victorian-style ash pan," he says. "But I'm struggling."

His knees are pressed against rolls of black bin liners, the shelves at his elbow hold drums of cable and chain, and hanging overhead are racks of wood mouldings, all part of this hardware shop's 25,000 products. "I must have spent an hour on this," he sighs.