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Lewison’s, the up and coming UK electricals retailer, says it ‘exists to change the status quo’ and wants to challenge Dixons’ domination of the market.
"Lewisons Retail is the beating heart of Lewison’s challenge to the staid and monopolistic electronics retailing market," read a statement on Lewison’s new group website. "Lewisons Electrical Retailing Ltd is a retailer with real vision, real goals and a real commitment to changing things.
"We exist to change the status quo; the British consumer electronics market is worth £10.6 billion. DSG International, the company responsible for Dixons, Currys and PC World, has a collective market share of at least 40 per cent. This is 15 per cent over the Competition Commission’s legal definition of a monopoly, and if they aren’t going to challenge it, Lewisons will."
[Note: PCR understands Dixons’ share of the UK market is currently around 22 per cent.]
Founded by Clive Coombes, who originally wanted to resurrect Comet, Lewison’s is set to open stores in Southampton, Bournemouth and Southampton City Centre. It already opened a store in Bournemouth’s Triangle called Outlet35, which sells laptops, tablets, headphones and more.
Coombes commented: "This venture has been born out of complete frustration. The demise of our local High Street, the lack of quality stores and giving of quality customer service within the electrical retail sector is my motive for this new and exciting challenge.”
Lewison’s added in a statement: "Lewison’s will be the benchmark for customer service in the electronics retailing sector within the next three years.
"We offer our customers a leisurely atmosphere, where they can enjoy a free tea/or coffee whilst trying a product, and being under no obligation to buy.
"Our emphasis is on genuine customer service, free of sales-oriented babble and with genuinely knowledgable staff – not somebody merely reading off the ticket.
"We’re different not only in our approach, but deep in our DNA too, approaching business with a hybrid of both heavily experienced individuals and hungry go-getters keen to prove themselves.
"In contrast to our competitors’ attempts to justify their purpose and salaries to shareholders through the use of futile schematics, diagrams and graphs, Lewison’s focuses on real results from real intiatives.
"Talk is cheap; what we say here will be noticeably present in our stores, and we want to stress this."
Lewison’s plans to open 80 stores within two years, after which it hopes to float on the London Stock Exchange via the FTSE AIM.
