Welcome to Rothwells Online
Rothwells is a family-run engineer’s merchant with a personal approach to B2B trade that has set us apart from the rest since 1954.
We offer an extensive range of products, from DIY to industrial equipment, specialist tooling to PPE. Leveraging almost 70 years’ industry experience, Rothwells stocks and supports the UK’s manufacturing, construction, engineering, social care and service sectors, alongside local councils, schools, housing associations and facilities management.
We currently operate three branches in the North West of England.
Integrity is key
We provide customers only with product ranges we’d be happy to buy ourselves – through carefully chosen suppliers and reliable UK buying groups. Paired with an honest and reliable service spanning nearly seven decades, we believe that holding integrity at the core of everything we do has been key to surviving in such an unpredictable industry.
Customer driven
Rothwells has been a constant to many local businesses for 67 years, offering a service driven by the customer, not just our bottom line. Our customers and their incredible businesses are ever changing and the reason we’re always looking at how to improve our own systems and processes; why we’re always looking to the future.
Expertise on tap
Most of the Rothwells team has been here for 20 years or more. We’ve experience and knowledge in the areas we supply to – whether as maintenance or mechanical engineers, professional decorators or DIY enthusiasts. This means when you’re not sure what you need for the job at hand, we’re the perfect bunch to ask!
Product portfolio
Though we started as fasteners and fixings, our product ranges are always expanding into new and exciting areas of industry – such as carbide inserts, backend tooling, and bandsaw blades. Plus, in 2021 we expanded our abrasives range to offer industrial-size sanding belts and added Regatta Professional to our workwear catalogue.
Industry partners
We’ve access to hundreds of reputable suppliers. From big names (like Draper Tools, Sealey, Bosch and Regatta) to lesser-known brands such as Bisley Workwear, Mitsubishi Carbide, Pferd and CRC Industries, each supplier we use has been carefully chosen to suit the product quality and price-point requirements of our customers.
Purchasing power
Rothwells has leveraged the power of reliable buying groups for the last 30 years and is proud to be part of the NMBS and Troy THS communities. Being a buying group member allows us, as a small independent business, to offer you the best prices from a number of reputable manufacturing sources and compete against national brands.
Family owned
Being a family-owned and family-run business, Rothwells is built from generations of experience, passion and innovation continuously working hand in hand to drive the business forward. We don’t plan on changing this proactive strategy anytime soon as we begin futureproofing the business for the digital era – exciting
Always adapting
As much as we love planning for all eventualities, we haven’t made it through several economic rollercoasters by sitting back and hoping things work out. We adapt and are constantly looking at how we improve our skills, processes, data, software… we want to be the best for ourselves and our customers for years to come.
It runs in the family
Although our online presence is relatively new, Rothwells has been in operation for more than six decades.
It was founded by Herbert Rothwell, who started out by selling tools from his own garden shed. In 1954, Herbert purchased a small premise on Duke St in Rochdale and established the company as H Rothwell & Co Ltd. An ideal location for local and passing trade, Duke St remains the HQ of Rothwells even today.
Rothwells was ran by Herbert and his family until 1992, when local man Roy Nuttall acquired the business. In 1993, Roy’s son Chris Nuttall joined as Managing Director and Roy was appointed Secretary and Chairman. In 1994, Roy’s son-in-law and experienced Siemens Engineer, Jim Durrant, also joined as Financial Director, helping to grow the business until his resignation in 2008.
Over the course of 24 years, until Roy’s passing in 2017, the family business expanded greatly to support the UK’s trade, manufacturing, engineering, social care and service sectors, alongside local councils, schools, housing associations and facilities management.
After three years as the only Nuttall at Rothwells, in 2020 Chris Nuttall’s appointed his eldest daughter Charlotte to Marketing Manager, to head up a new venture which would launch Rothwells into the 21st century.