Hughes Electrical has opened a new store in Thetford to meet changing customer needs.
The Norfolk firm, which was established in Lowestoft more than 100 years ago, moved to its new location at Breckland Retail Park from its former shop on King Street.
Its new store sees it increase its retail space to 4,000sqft, compared to 1,250sqft at the previous location.
Along with giving the family-run business more capacity, Robert Hughes, chairman of the firm, said that the new store is "specifically designed to meet the rapidly changing demands of our customers".
“They want stores offering ample free parking, that are large enough to carry a huge range of stock for them to see and have demonstrations by knowledgeable staff before purchasing - or indeed renting, which is becoming an increasingly attractive and easy way for people to acquire electrical items," said Mr Hughes.
“The ‘click and collect’ option on the website is also very popular and our new store offers this too from the nearby, massive Thetford warehouse."
Mayor of Thetford, Jane James, opened the store at the beginning of November and the retailer said it has already seen turnover rise 300pc compared to the King Street shop.
“Customer feedback has been very positive with people excited to see we have invested so heavily in Thetford meaning they can shop locally, rather than travelling elsewhere," added Mr Hughes.
“We have been able to dramatically increase the stock on display, for example in King Street we had seven washing machines – now we have 30.
“Big sellers are TVs, game consoles and items such as American style fridge/freezers and built-in appliances as customers look to beat the price rises coming in the New Year as a result of the fall in the value of sterling.
“We are hopeful of a strong lead-up to Christmas."
Hughes Electrical has stores across Norfolk and Suffolk and employs 805 workers in total.
“As a company we see retail in physical shops as a cornerstone of our business alongside the web, trade department and rental," said Mr Hughes.
"We will continue to invest in all four of these to improve customer experience.”
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