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Rodbers of Richmond Ltd: Building material suppliers with a history for great quality and service!
Whether you are a local building contractor looking for materials and consumables or a DIY enthusiast that needs tools and supplies, make Rodbers of Richmond Ltd your go-to merchant. We have a long history that started back in 1950! Why not find out more about our history below and shop online or get in touch with us to see how we can help you and your project.
About Us
Rodbers of Richmond Ltd started life in October 1906 as Rodber & Sons. It was originally owned by William Walter Rodber, William Stanley Rodber and Ernest Bright Rodber of Richmond and traded from 28 Market Place, Richmond as “Wholesale and Retail Ironmongers and Glass and China Merchants”
Rodber & Sons was sold in the early 1950s to G. Shaw Ltd, a local builder. Ken Hutchinson was employed by Mr Shaw as General Manager. He was given a car and a bag of cash by Mr Shaw and set off visiting wholesalers in Leeds, Newcastle, and Manchester, paying cash for goods and bringing them back in his car.
Mr Shaw’s son, George W Shaw joined the business and took over the running of it in 1960. In 1979 the business was sold to D. Garner & Sons Ltd who changed the name to Rodbers of Richmond Ltd.
In the early 1990s Rodbers bought the old cinema in Queens Road, Richmond and after renovating it moved the retail shop part of the business there, leaving the builders merchants at the rear of the Market Place store in Waterloo Street.
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At Rodbers we have built a very loyal customer base and we like to think our customer service and product knowledge is first class! We certainly should have product knowledge, as 4 of our staff have a total service of almost 150 years!
Builders
Merchants
Unfortunately, 2009 was a sad year for Rodbers, Ken Hutchinson who had carried on working at Rodbers until the 1990s died and Alan Cooper who had worked for us for over 25 years (until he had to leave due to ill health) also died. Alan was a loyal employee at the merchants' yard and was extremely popular with customers and fellow staff. He is still greatly missed by everyone as His knowledge of the building trade was second to none, unfortunately his knowledge of football was anything but – he supported Middlesbrough!
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In 2014 it was decided to move the retail business back into Waterloo Street as many of our customers had told us that they preferred everything under one roof, and we always listen to our customers!
Store
In 2017 Rodbers was back up for sale when Richard and Derek Garner made the decision to retire from the retail business. They kindly gave first option to buy to two of the staff who had expressed an interest, Ray Longstaff and Jonny Parsons. Between them Ray and Jonny had worked at Rodbers for 77 years and gladly accepted the offer to take the business forward. They became the 4th owners of Rodbers on July 1st, 2017.
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Jonny and Ray have known our customers for many years and have a great working relationship with them, one thing has not and will not change and that is “our customers come first in every decision that we make”, we believe that no other company has the same level of customer service that we have.
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Go on, check us out! If you are looking for building material suppliers, hardware, tools or anything you need for your project, we are here to help, and you won’t be disappointed!
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Make Rodbers of Richmond Ltd your local, go-to destination for building materials and consumables
We have been around for so many years that our small, independent shop has now grown in size and become a real destination for people throughout the local area. Because we have everything under one roof, DIY enthusiasts and builders working on projects come to us for all of their supplies! We have great items, great prices and great customer service. Not only are we a well-known staple in Richmond, but we also welcome regular customers from Leeds, York, Thirsk, Northallerton, Bedale, Selby, Harrogate, Darlington, and Barnard Castle! Shop online with us now for local delivery in your area or get in touch to ask us any questions.