Maplin Electronics catalogue is one of the most reliable mail-order sources of high-quality electrical components, and is also complemented by more than 100 Maplin stores throughout the UK and Ireland, together with its fully transactional website which offers over 15,000 electrical products. The broad product categories available include Sound & Vision, Computer products and Hobbies & Electronics.
Beginning business in Essex in 1972, as a mail order business for Electronic Supplies, Maplin quickly gained a good reputation as being a reliable source for quality electrical components, and in 1975 opened its first store in Westcliff on Sea, in Essex, with a second shop opening shortly afterwards in Hammersmith, London. Also, within the space of just a few years, the original 28 page black-and-white catalogue quickly grew into more than 200 pages, with the first colour Maplin catalogue being introduced in 1979.
Acquired by by Saltire PLC in 1994, Maplin opened its first superstore in 1995, in Leeds, which was to be the first of many, and was also followed by the opening of its online catalogue website in 1999. While online sales quickly passed the £1m mark, management buy-outs in 2001 and 2004 also pre-empted two other important milestones - Maplin’s 30th anniversary in 2002, and the celebration of Maplin’s 100th store opening in 2005. With sales growth today still continuing at a rapid rate, Maplin sales are set to break the £150m barrier in 2006.
The Maplin mail-order catalogue may also be ordered from the Maplin website. The catalogue is not free, unlike many catalogues, but the price is nominal (£3.99 for the 2007 catalogue), and the catalogue itself contains discounts and coupons worth far in excess of what you pay for the catalogue, so it’s definitely still a worthwhile purchase.
Much of what you’ll find at the Maplin site is for electronic hobbyists and the electrical enthusiast, but there are also thousands of everyday electricals too, such as digital cameras and audio equipment, as well as many excellent toys and kits. Whether you choose to order by mail-order or direct from the Maplin website, you’re sure of a good deal, although you should note that the website is always somewhat more up-to-date than the paper catalogue, suffice to say that the paper catalogue is still an invaluable tool to have as an off-line reference.
Maplin Electronics is operated independently. See
other independently operated catalogues, or catalogues from
other UK mail-order companies.
You may find similar UK catalogues to Maplin Electronics, or similar products, within the
catalogue categories defined for Maplin Electronics.
Maplin may be contacted through all the usual channels, and provide several e-mail addresses and telephone numbers, for customers enquiries, be they technical, sales related or of a more general nature.
Maplin offers credit accounts to business customers only, so direct-retail customers need to either order and pay by post with a cheque, or otherwise by telephone or via the Maplin website using a debit/credit card.
Continue to the official Maplin Electronics website ››
