Partner Article

Crampton & Moore to launch major new Yorkshire Superstore

One of Sheffield’s longest-established family businesses enters into a major new era this November with the launch of a brand new Crampton & Moore superstore at their Waverley warehouse and distribution centre.

The TV, appliance and kitchen company, which was founded in Sheffield 1966, is now firmly established across the north, with stores in Sheffield, Leeds and Harrogate.

And its online presence has made it one of the country’s leading suppliers of televisions and home cinema, refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers and now kitchens - with clients including Windsor Castle, Kensington Palace and 10 Downing Street.

But the November launch of the company’s new showroom and distribution hub at Poplar Way, Waverley, will establish it even more firmly as one of the retail industry’s most influential and affordable TV and household appliance suppliers.

Crampton & Moore was started by partners John Moore and Roy Crampton in 1966 to meet increasing demand for more affordable and rentable televisions with the launch of BBC2 and the start of colour broadcasts.

Initially the partners purchased faulty TVs, repaired them and then sold or rented at a more competitive rate than larger operators.

The company was first based in an old Methodist church in Sheffield’s Wincobank but when the decision was taken to move into retail, shops were opened in Rotherham and then Sheffield’s Ecclesfield and Firth Park districts.

As the success of Crampton & Moore grew, the company became one the first in South Yorkshire to work with increasingly popular Japanese brands like Panasonic, Hitachi, Sony, Sanyo and Mitsubishi.

The 1980s saw the company embrace the demand for video recorders, personal computers, Walkmans, CD players, Teletext and then widescreen TVs.

It was also an early entrant into internet retailing starting in the late 90s selling on the now defunct British online auction site QXL and then through newly launched American online sites eBay and Amazon.

In the early 2000s the company launch its own web site, which has grown rapidly and expanded its customer base nationwide.

Creating a firm hold on the Yorkshire market, the company now has successful and well-established branches in Vicar Lane in Leeds and Commercial Street in Harrogate.

The November opening of the new 45,000 sq ft showroom and distribution hub in Waverley – relocating from the company’s surviving Ecclesfield shop - will, however, place the Crampton & Moore name even more firmly on the national map, with a range that now extends far beyond television and home entertainment.

Now the company deals in everything from washers and dryers to fridges, freezers, cookers and hobs and the full range of smaller kitchen appliances, with brands including Hotpoint, Hoover, Whirlpool, Dyson, Samsung, Bosch, Liebherr, Smeg, Neff and Hisense.

The new superstore has been designed to inspire customers with the latest ideas to upgrade their homes, with the latest kitchen design displays, connected smart appliances, designer ranges, eco friendly models and the latest in TV and home cinema experiences.

“Even though so much of our business is now conducted online through our hugely popular website, we do appreciate that many people still prefer to look before they buy and also talk to experienced salespeople who can give them expert advice,” said Managing Director Robert Moore, the son of founder John Moore.

It was Robert who spotted the potential to develop the company’s strong online presence, helping the company to develop an annual turnover of £16 million by the time it celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2016 and double again to £32 million today.

But he at the same time understood the need to maintain Crampton & Moore’s strong position in the more traditional retail market.

“We are still a 100 per cent family-run independent business but our track record has made us a national retail leader and now we have the premises to match that reputation,” he said.

“The size of our new showroom and large warehouse with thousands of products in stock means that customers can usually take away the product they want with no delay or, of course, arrange free delivery at a convenient date and time.

“Our customers can choose to browse online, use click and collect or visit the showroom for expert advice whatever is convenient.

“Our experienced team can also install and guide you through the set up and operation of your new appliance or TV.

“We constantly monitor prices so that we’re always competitively priced and we have a price match policy and exclusive deals and offers not available elsewhere.

“We also have a team dedicated for business and trade customers with special trade pricing and stock delivered to meet tight deadlines.

“The location of our new showroom is just minutes from Junction 33 of the M1, so we are in easy reach of clients from South and West Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and beyond.

“Family and customer service remains at the heart of everything we do but after more than half a century we feel we have finally got the store that represents the successful national company we truly are.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by John Highfield .