Barker will give you the luxury of time to let you live your life, love your home and make your mark, empowering you to enjoy those special moments, whilst we take care of the rest.
Our Reputation
We are a long established, family run business that upholds an unrivalled reputation in the fabric care industry and more importantly, amongst our loyal customers. We have recently used our knowledge and credibility to create product lines that are barker endorsed. Superior quality and care goes into sourcing and creating the collections and all our accessories that we represent – and that’s why our customers adore them.
Our Services
Our mission has always been to create, nurture and sustain the finest fabrics through confidence, integrity and unique service delivery – and we believe that standing by this mantra is what has contributed to building our superb reputation and loyal customer base today. Our workmanship and ability to innovate, provide value for money and simply deliver an unrivalled service offering is what stands us apart.
Our Customers
Because our customers remain our advocates – we re-pay them by ensuring we always deliver the best possible results. We abide by our traditional values and current approach by combining good old fashion methods, with the latest cutting edge technology to deliver unrivalled quality and service. We are thrilled that so many of our barker community, not only come back time and again, but go on to tell their friends, family and associates what a great experience they have had with barker.
Heritage
Barker have a heritage that spans decades. Read on to see how barker began, and how we have become the most successful launderers in the UK.
The Barker family has been involved in dry cleaning for three generations. Ken Barker started up in the 1940s and it’s fair to say that without him, the industry would be very different today. Ken started work for an acquaintance in the business called Walter Knight. Over the years Ken and Walter built up the ‘Collins Cleaners’ business until in 1947 Ken decided to buy the company outright. He continued to grow the business and by 1958 Collins Cleaners had over forty shops and three factories. In 1959 Ken became president of the National Federation of Dyers and Cleaners. In 1960 Ken sold the business and became Deputy Chairman of Quality Cleaners of Worcester. He was responsible for the merger of this company with Sketchley’s making it the biggest dry cleaning company in the country. At that time more than half Sketchley’s branches had been set up by Ken Barker.
Ken’s son Anthony followed in his father’s footsteps and, with three friends, opened Harlequin Cleaners and later Commodore Cleaners. In 1972 Anthony took on three shops: Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch, founding Anthony A. Barker Ltd. Anthony and his wife Valerie decided the future of the business lay in the provision of high quality domestic laundry services, both to the public and dry cleaners themselves. The business thrived and Anthony’s son, Matthew entered the business. Matthew’s tenacity, vision and hard work over the past fifteen years, has been the driving force behind the growth of the barker brand, which has gone from strength to strength. In 2000 Matthew bought the company from his father, re-branding to become Barker Group.
Today, it’s simply barker – a company providing a consistently high quality service with an unrivalled reputation for excellence. As for Matthew Barker, he is still dedicated to building and improving on the skills and traditions passed down through the family. His vision is to make barker’s a byword in quality laundry throughout the world.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Integrity is at the heart of the barker brand DNA, and that’s why we are wholly committed to ensuring that we are reducing our carbon footprint and are focused on becoming one of the country’s greenest and ethical laundrys and retailers.
Why?
• To minimise waste by reviewing our operations; ensuring they are as efficient as possible.
• To minimise carbon emissions through our fleet selection and power supply.
• To actively promote recycling throughout our organisation.
• To source and promote a product range minimising environmental impact of both our production and distribution.
• To meet and exceed environmental legislation relating to our organisation and its activities.
• To offset, and where possible, eliminate greenhouse gas emissions generated by our activities.
Community Engagement
Community is incredibly important to Barker and the business is proud to be part of many community initiatives.
Barker is a lead sponsor at Bournemouth Rugby Club, helping it to grow its community of supporters and partners. The Club shares the Barker Group values of integrity and respect– a game that brings the community together from all walks of life. Barker joined in Lewis-Manning Hospice Care’s ‘Grow Some Sunshine’ campaign and purchased 3,000 sunflower seed packets to give to the business’s private laundry customers.
Matthew Barker set up a young carers’ charity in 2014 and has played a pivotal part in its growth, before stepping down in 2021.
Sponsors of Bournemouth Rugby
Community is incredibly important to Barker and the business is proud to be part of many community initiatives.
Barker is a lead sponsor at Bournemouth Rugby Club, helping it to grow its community of supporters and partners. The Club shares the Barker Group values of integrity and respect – a game that brings the community together from all walks of life.
Barker joined in Lewis-Manning Hospice Care’s ‘Grow Some Sunshine’ campaign and purchased 3,000 sunflower seed packets to give to the business’s private laundry customers.
Barker were extremely honoured to have supported Vendée Globe Racer Pip Hare in her solo around the world yacht challenge, which she completed in 2021.Pip is currently preparing for the 2024 Vendée Globe Race.
image @Richard Langdon