Retra member Hughes Electrical is hitting the road as it celebrates its 100th anniversary.
To mark this milestone, the retailer has recreated a 1950s Bedford van, complete with TVs, washing machine, cooker and radio of the period, which will be touring the country, visiting its shop locations.
The public will be able to come and see the van for themselves and also have the chance to enter a free competition to win one of 100 prizes, such as TVs, game consoles and computer tablets.
The company has come a long way since Frank Hughes, a World War I veteran, founded the business in Lowestoft, Suffolk, in 1921, to sell and repair radios.
Said chairman Robert Hughes, Frank’s grandson (pictured): “It is interesting to see on Frank’s first business card the address was given as ‘Service House’. This shows how important service was to us from the very beginning and is something that has remained constant for those 100 years.
“In the 1950s we expanded beyond our Lowestoft base and into the growing TV market. By the 1990s, we were one of 22 specialist electrical retail chains in the UK. Now we are one of just three, such is the change the industry has seen, fuelled by supermarkets, the internet and rising shop rents and rates.”
The Hughes Electrical of today is founded on four pillars: its 32 retail shops in seven English counties; the Hughes.co.uk website; Hughes Rental with over 100,000 customers and the business-to-business operation, Hughes Trade.
Added Mr Hughes: “While the business is unrecognisable from the one my grandfather founded, two things have remained constant; our focus on customer service and family ownership. We genuinely try to put people first, be it customers, colleagues, or suppliers. We also try to uphold family values in how we deal with people, as their loyalty has helped us reach this landmark.”
