Hughes Reviews

After serving on the western front throughout the Great War, Frank Hughes trained as an electrical engineer before founding the business in Lowestoft, Suffolk, in 1921. Originally rewinding industrial electrical motors for Lowestoft's fishing fleet, Frank bought his first shop in 1928, where he built and sold radios while the family lived above. The business was incorporated in 1946, but the following year Frank passed away, leaving his children Peter, Phyllis and Jim to take over the management of the company. To this day, more than 100 years on, we remain a true family business with the third generation, with Robert and Jeremy Hughes, now at the helm. We were quick to embrace and introduce new technologies as they developed, such as televisions and labor-saving kitchen appliances. By renting these products, they became affordable for the typical household in the post-war austerity years. This early equipment was notoriously unreliable and the engineering background of the company meant that we were well placed to develop a large service infrastructure to repair them. Geographic expansion soon followed and we now have 19 stores and 5 service depots.