First Tunnels

First Tunnels sells domestic and commercial polytunnels, spare-parts and accessories such as cloches, raised-bed kits, irrigation and frost protection. Prices run from £400 for a 6 ft hobby tunnel to £4,000-plus for 30 ft commercial units, placing the range in the mid-market with occasional premium options. The company trades only through its UK e-commerce site and a telephone sales team; there are no physical shops. The firm designs its own aluminium and galvanised-steel frames, offers free bespoke length cutting, and supplies replacement polythene covers in 9 different grades including thermic anti-drip and bird-net options. A “build-your-own” 3-D configurator and downloadable instruction manuals position First Tunnels as a supplier for DIY installers rather than trade-only merchants. Its 25-year guarantee on frame tubes is among the longest in the sector. Customers are allotment societies, small-scale market gardeners, schools and self-sufficiency households who want year-round growing space cheaper and faster than a greenhouse. The brand appeals to value-conscious growers who prefer repairable, modular structures and like to source UK-manufactured components with next-day spare-part availability. Competitors include both low-cost imported polytunnel resellers and high-end greenhouse makers; First Tunnels differentiates by stocking every replacement clip and cover on demand, providing in-house horticultural advice lines, and maintaining a YouTube channel with step-by-step construction videos that reduce installer error and after-sales returns.