Ellesmere
About us
A family-run electrical retailer with over 75 years of experience, two stores in North Shropshire, and a commitment to service that has kept customers coming back since 1948.
1948
Established
75+
Years in business
2
Stores in Shropshire
30+
Years, longest-serving staff
Our story
Who we are
We are Barlows Electrical Retail Ltd — a family-run business with deep roots in the communities of North Shropshire. The company was founded in 1948 by Thomas Clifford Barlow, who began repairing kettles and irons from his home in the village of Malpas, Cheshire. Customers would bring broken appliances to "Cliff's house" to be repaired in the evenings after a full day of electrical installation work. That room in his home became the seed of something that has now spanned more than seven decades.
From those modest beginnings, the business grew steadily — opening its first high street shop in Malpas in 1965, expanding into Whitchurch in the early 1980s, and opening our Ellesmere store in 1992. Today, our retail presence is anchored in North Shropshire and backed by a team who genuinely know their products and care about getting things right for customers.
Our stores
Where to find us
We have two stores in the market towns of North Shropshire, each with knowledgeable staff, a well-stocked showroom, and our own warehouse to ensure product availability.
Ellesmere
11–13 Cross Street
Ellesmere, Shropshire
SY12 0AW
Whitchurch
25 High Street
Whitchurch, Shropshire
SY13 1AX
We also operate our own delivery vehicle with a two-person team, covering a wide area across Shropshire, Cheshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford, Warrington, and beyond. See our Delivery Guide for full details.
Why shop with us
What sets us apart
Euronics member
Europe's largest electrical buying group — meaning better prices for you
RETRA affiliated
Strict operational standards in line with Office of Fair Trading guidelines
Expert team
Staff with over 30 years of experience alongside younger technical specialists
Sustainability
WEEE Directive compliant with a battery take-back scheme in all stores
Our history
Over 75 years in the making
1948
The company was established by Thomas Clifford Barlow, repairing kettles and irons at his home in the village of Malpas, Cheshire.
1961
The company moved to larger premises with a bigger workshop, two vans, and a 24-hour call-out system.
1965
Barlows opened a new shop in a high street location in Malpas to enable the company to expand as electrical contracting developed.
Early 1980s
Our second high street store, 'Barlows Whitchurch', was opened — also used as an office for the expanding contracting section.
1986
New premises required due to the success of the high street shop and electrical contracting. A new shop opened; the previous outlet remained as a workshop for repairs and still serves the village today.
1986
Barlows became a member of Euronics: Europe's largest electrical retailer, providing significant buying power across a wide range of manufacturers and enabling better prices for customers.
1990s
By the 90s, Barlows contracting had its own testing department and a NACOSS security alarm division.
1992
Our third store opened in Ellesmere, Shropshire.
1998
Barlows combined its Malpas and Whitchurch offices and opened headquarters on Hampton Industrial Estate in Malpas — an ideal location for serving clients across the North West of England, Wales, and the Midlands. An on-site wholesale trade warehouse also opened. All three retail stores remained open.
2005
Barlows UK Ltd opened its first regional branch in Chadderton, Manchester, offering a full range of electrical services to Greater Manchester, Lancashire, and Yorkshire.
2008
Work began on a new office for Barlows UK Ltd on Hampton Industrial Estate. All contracting divisions moved to the new headquarters. The old Barlows building was refurbished and became a City & Guilds training academy and supplies department.
2010
Barlows training academy opened and was recognised in a series of regional and national awards, including being voted City & Guilds Top 100 Apprentice Employer in 2012, 2013, and 2014.
2013
The company celebrated 65 years and commissioned a retro anniversary Mini van to mark the occasion.
2015
Barlows became a multi-award-winning company, receiving the High Sheriff's Award for Enterprise, the North West Chamber of Commerce People Development Award, the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce Medium Size Company of the Year Award, and the Cheshire Business Person of the Year Award.
2015
A new Fire & Security office opened to house the existing department due to its rapid expansion.
2016
Barlows grew to 300 staff and over 200 vehicles with contracts across the UK. Further awards followed, including the High Sheriff's Award for Enterprise and Employer of the Year at the Cheshire Business Awards.
2016
A new Barlows UK office opened in High Wycombe, continuing the company's national expansion.
2017
A new office opened in Lancaster, bringing Barlows closer to customers in the North and improving regional service.
2017
The Fire & Security division in High Wycombe opened, following the success of the electrical department in the South. Barlows was awarded the Roberts Bakery Family Award for Excellence at the High Sheriff's Awards.
2018
Continued growth of the Fire & Security department. Barlows was awarded Employer of the Year for the second time at the Cheshire Business Awards 2018.
2023
Barlows Electrical partnership transitioned to a Ltd company, trading as Barlows Electrical Retail Ltd.
Want to know more? Come in and see us.
Update 19/03/2025
We are Barlows Electrical Retail LTD, A family run electrical retailer with over 75 years’ experience in the electrical industry. The company was established by Thomas Clifford Barlow in 1948. T.C. Barlow started the company as an electrical contracting business in the village of Malpas, Cheshire and it soon became apparent there was a need for a place for customers to take the new variety of labour saving appliances when they needed repair. Customers would bring repairs to ‘Cliff’s house’ and they were done in the evening after a full day of electrical installation had been completed.
A room in his home became the start of an electrical repair shop and contracting business in the village of Malpas, Cheshire. Since then it has steadily grown into a nationwide contractor who specialize is all aspects of building maintenance including electrical maintenance, alarm systems, appliance testing, domestic appliance repairs, TV and satellite repairs and installation, plumbing, heating and gas servicing, telecommunications, property maintenance, solar panel installation & electric vehicle (E.V) charging installations. Our head office is based at Hampton near Malpas in Cheshire and we have regional offices in Manchester, High Wycombe and Lancaster. We also have an approved training centre and two trade counters within the company as well as our two retail stores.
Our Stores
Our retail presence is anchored in North Shropshire, with stores in the market towns of Whitchurch and Ellesmere. Our dedicated team, ranging from staff with over 30 years of experience to younger members who have grown up with amazing technical advances and the ability to simplify and communicate these to customers which has provided us with an added dimension. Equipped with our own warehouse, we maintain a robust inventory to ensure immediate availability of a wide range of items. We are also part of Euronics, Europe’s largest electrical buying group, which affords us significant price advantages. Our affiliation with RETRA (The Radio and Electrical Trade Association) assures customers of our adherence to strict operational standards, in line with directives from the Office of Fair Trading and health and safety authorities. Additionally, we support environmental sustainability through the WEEE Directive and offer a battery take-back scheme in all our stores.
Barlows History
