Established 1803


Our History

1803 – John Riddel established his company in High Street, Belfast it is now one of Ulster’s oldest family firms. Originally the company traded in iron steel and tinplate. Going on to expand into machinery and hardware.

1865 – William Riddell (John’s son) purchased a plot of land in Ann Street to accommodate the expanding business. He commissioned the renowned architects Thomas Jackson & Son to erect Riddel Warehouse seen by many at the time as one of the best examples in the land of Victorian industrial warehouse architecture. The national press referred to it as having no equal in terms of its purpose built structure; with it’s galleries around a central courtyard. This efficient design facilitated the steady growth of John Riddel & Sons. Locations on London Road and University Avenue, Belfast were part of Riddel expansion.

1896 – Edward Riddell (John’s son) diversified into household retail with the Riddel Arcade in Donegal Place, Belfast. The site was later sold to Brands and is now known as Queen’s Arcade.

1914 – John’s Daughters, renowned philanthropists, Eliza and Isabella Riddel were the generous benefactors of Riddel Hall accommodation for young ladies at Queen’s University, Belfast.


Our Location Today

2007 – Following a long tradition of ease of access for our customers we moved to an extensive Mid Ulster location at 1 Dagger Road, Lisburn. We have utilized modern warehouse and office design to provide a quality service for you, our much valued customers.

The site has ease of access for all services with ‘state of the art‘ stock and information management systems. And most importantly a friendly and professional salesforce.

You are welcome to visit us and appreciate our modern spacious business environment and to have a closer look in the boardroom of the fascinating journey over the past 200 years through our historic tribute to the amazing Riddel family.