With outlets strategically located in Crossmaglen, Castleblayney, Dundalk and Drogheda, Bellew Electrical Wholesale has established itself as one of the premier suppliers of goods to the electrical trade in the North East and beyond. We dropped into their County Armagh headquarters and met Ollie Bellew to find out more about this exceptional, progressive family operation.
Just over a decade since its inception in the picturesque border village of Crossmaglen, County Armagh, Bellew Electrical Wholesale is firmly established as a market leader, supplying electricians in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland with a comprehensive range of high-quality products – promptly, at a reasonable price and with a superb back-up service guaranteed.
This outstanding family business has grown gradually down through the years in response to rising demand for a no-nonsense service and now serves a vast catchment area along both sides of the border from well-appointed locations in Crossmaglen; Castleblayney, County Monaghan; and Louth’s two largest towns, Drogheda and Dundalk.
Contractors dealing with Bellew Electrical Wholesale have the peace of mind provided by knowing that they are doing business with people who know the electrical trade inside out and who – having experienced life from the other side of the counter – possess an innate understanding of the needs and requirements of tradesmen when they purchase anything from lighting, lamps to cables and accessories; distribution and control, security and safety, heating and ventilating products; plugs and sockets; or even tools and fittings.
Whether a customer is buying everything needed for the fit-out of a full development or just a single wall socket, every client is afforded the utmost care and attention to detail and no stone is left unturned in assuring that optimum solutions are provided as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. This is one of the many reasons why the business benefits from a high volume of repeat business and continues to expand, with the latest outlet opened as recently as last year.
“We set the business up in 2006,” Ollie Bellew reflects. “We used to do a lot of electrical contracting ourselves and this was something that was always in our heads. We spotted an opening and decided to start with the wholesaling business.
“It’s worked out well and we have a growing customer base in both the North and the South, growing from one branch to four in ten years. We opened up in Castleblayney in 2006, Dundalk in 2010 and Drogheda in 2016.”
Brothers Ollie, Francie [an All-Star and All-Ireland senior football championship winner with Armagh in 2002], Michael, Brendan and Fergal are all involved in the family business, which generates direct employment for a crew of up to 25.
“We supply the trade, shops, factories and electrical contractors,” Ollie confirms. “We supply a full range of electrical items – anything from cables to plugs, sockets, lighting, etc., basically anything an electrician might need. We have a large catchment area from the four branches, including Louth, Meath, Monaghan, Cavan, Armagh, Down, Dublin, Carlow, Kildare and even Fermanagh and Leitrim.”
Lines and stock levels are increased all the time and a rapid and secure delivery service is provided for customers who need their electrical goods on-site at particular times so they can get on with the job. At the end of the day, this isn’t rocket science … it’s all about looking after customers and Ollie estimates that around 80% of daily business derives from repeat custom.
What exactly is the customer looking for from an electrical wholesaler? “Good quality products, good service and a fair price,” Ollie replies. “If you can tick all of those boxes, then the customer will be happy.”
Quality products are sourced from all over the world, from Italy to Germany to Turkey or wherever the team at Bellew Electrical Wholesale can find the best electrical equipment, tools and accessories that money can buy.
“We understand what electricians are looking for. You’d have a good idea what is going to work and what isn’t going to work and we test out all the products ourselves and make sure they are of the highest quality. We won’t put our name on anything that isn’t of the best possible quality. We look after all of our customers and we won’t hesitate to help them out if they have any problems or queries or need any sort of assistance.”
The business has enjoyed impressive growth in its twelve-year history to date and Ollie confirms that they “definitely have every intention to keep pushing on”. Of course, there are always challenges on the horizon for every business and – with Brexit looming – the decision of the British public to divorce themselves from the European Single Market is sure to have some sort of effect on a company that straddles the border…
“The biggest problem is the uncertainty. Business people don’t know what to expect or what exactly is going to happen,” Ollie continues. “Nobody knows what their futures are going to hold and where their businesses are going to be. A bit of clarification would be welcome at this stage.”
At Bellew Electrical Wholesale every customer, is treated equally whether an order is €100 or €10,000, it’s all the same. No customer or order is too big or too small. “We deal with all the big contractors and also with the sole trader,” Ollie concludes.
“During the recession, when everybody decreased their stock levels, we did the opposite and started to build up our stock to ensure that we had what our customers needed. Stock is crucial and we wanted to make sure that when somebody rang in for something, we had it.”
By focusing on absolute customer satisfaction, Bellew Electrical Wholesale has come a long way in just over a decade and the signs are encouraging that there is plenty more to come from this highly-successful family business.
Bellew Electrical Wholesale
Crossmaglen Branch
Tel: 028 30860 830
Dundalk Branch
Tel: + 353 (0) 42 9337450
Castleblayney Branch
Tel: + 353 (0) 42 9754575
Drogheda Branch
Tel: +353 (0) 41 9846160
Web: bellewelectrical.com
Taken from Building Ireland Magazine, June 2017, Vol 3 No 5
