Currys
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Currys | |
 |
|
| Type | Part of DSG International plc |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1884 |
| Headquarters | Hemel Hempstead, England |
| Key people | Nick Wilkinson (Managing Director, UK & Ireland Electricals since April 2004), Sir John Collins (Group Chairman since September 2002), John Clare CBE (Group Chief Executive since 1994) |
| Industry | Retail |
| Products | White goods, Telecommunications, Information technology |
| Revenue | n/a (see DSG International plc for group revenue.) |
| Employees | 8,842 (2005) |
| Slogan | Always cutting prices. |
| Website | http://www.currys.co.uk/ |
Currys is an electrical retailer in the UK and Republic of Ireland, and is owned by DSG International plc. It specialises in home electronics and household appliances, with 295 superstores and 73 high street stores. Their annual sales in 2003/04 were £1,752 million and £1,852 million in 2004/05. In April 2006, it was announced that Dixons stores (except in Ireland) would be rebranded as "Currys.digital", taking the total to 550 stores. In Ireland however the Currys brand will continue to be only used for large-format stores, with Dixons retained on the high street.
[edit] The early years
Currys was founded in 1884 by Henry Curry (born 1850) when he started to build bicycles full time in a shed at the back of his garden at 40 Painter Street, Leicester, England. He opened his first shop in 1888 at 271 Belgrave Gate, Leicester. The company was put on a proper financial footing in 1897 when Henry formed a partnership with his sons calling the company H. Curry & Sons. The business continued to grow and floated on the stock exchange in 1927, by this time the shops sold a wide variety of goods including bicycles, toys, radios and gramophones. Currys pulled out of cycle manufacturing and retailing in the 1960's to concentrate on electrical goods. Currys was taken over by DSG International plc (owners of the Dixons electorical products retail chain) in 1984 but maintained its separate brand identity. In April 2006, DSG announced that its Dixons stores (except in Ireland and in duty-free areas in airports) would be rebranded as Currys.digital, in addition to the existing Currys outlets, making a total of 550 Currys stores in all.
| Year | Number of stores |
| 1904 | 1 |
| 1908 | 6 |
| 1914 | 32 |
| 1925 | 135 |
| 1930 | 192 |
| 1940 | 215 |
| 1943 | 170 |
| 1953 | 251 |
| 1963 | 360 |
| 1973 | 411 |
| 1983 | 550 |
Before the Dixons rebranding, the chain contained only a few small town-centre high-street stores compared with its much greater number of large out-of-town superstores. These stores are generally split into four main departments - Computing, Home Entertainment, Major Domestic Appliances and Small Domestic Appliances. The stores are a mix of display products and self-service sections.
See also: Hygena at Currys
Currys nowadays sells solar panels.
Customer's can also now reserve and collect products, meaning products can be reserved on the internet, then checked and bought at the local retail outlet.
