Shopfloor


RETAILER PROFILE: HARRIS ELECTRICAL


‘We are like a family – we all try to help each other’


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Harris Electrical is a trusted local retailer and Euronics Agent in the heart of London’s East End. ERT spoke to Owner and MD, Debbie Harris, to find out how well the 87-year-old business has done and how it’s diversified into new areas, including kitchens.


E


uronics Agent, Harris Electrical, has been serving shoppers in East London for almost 90 years. Thomas Archibald Harris, the great


grandfather of current Owner and Managing Director, Debbie Harris, founded the Clapton-based business in 1934. The company’s largest and main one-floor


showroom is prominently situated on a high-footfall street corner – and has been for more than 20 years. In more recent times, the area has undergone a lot of redevelopment. “We’re on a busy main road in an area they call


Clapton Village,” explains Ms Harris, who has been running the business for the past 10 years. “We’ve seen big changes – it really took off just before the London 2012 Olympics. “We have a huge mix of customers. We have our


fair share of loyal, long-standing customers and we’ve built up a reputation within our local


community, but there has been an influx of younger people moving to Hackney and we are seeing young professionals in ever-increasing numbers.” Ms Harris joined the company straight from


school. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do – my mum said that I should go and work for my dad until I decided, and I’ve been there ever since,” she says. In the early ‘60s, her father, John, was involved


with electrical retailing trade association, Retra, and also played a part in the formation of what is now CIH/Euronics. He has now retired from the business, but still present in the background. Ms Harris’s daughter, Megan, has also joined the


company – she’s the fifth generation of the family and she appeared in the recent Euronics TV ad campaign over the Christmas period. Harris Electrical expanded its retail footprint in 2018


to Walthamstow, East London, with its warehouse located geographically between the two stores.


“From the start of our financial year we’ve been shut for around 50 per cent of the time. It is a testament to all my staff that we have kept going in the way that we have.”


“It was previously Pee Jay, but the owner retired,”


explains Ms Harris. “Our Hackney showroom is slightly more pristine and we will be doing some refurbishment work in Walthamstow soon.”


Servicing Prior to acquiring Pee Jay, 2017 saw the acquisition of another Euronics Agent called City Domestic, in Islington, which specialises in servicing. Continues Ms Harris: “I didn’t buy the store – just


the books and the staff. I’ve integrated that service department into our business, so now we offer everything, from washing machine repairs to full kitchen installations, rather than just selling appliances. Because of the Smartcare warranty scheme offered by Euronics [in partnership with Retracare] we can use our own engineers to carry out the repairs.”


The pandemic After the first lockdown last year, Euronics partnered with some of its suppliers to provide Agents with safety equipment and collateral to ensure their stores were COVID-secure – and Harris Electrical took full advantage. “We also bought screens to go around our front


desks,” says Ms Harris. “It was quite a costly investment but keeping our staff and customers safe


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