Currys facts for kids
The Currys logo used from 2021 following the revival of Currys as a sole brand
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| Industry | Retail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1884 |
| Headquarters | Waterloo, London, England |
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Number of locations
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 298 (2024) |
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Area served
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United Kingdom, Ireland |
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Key people
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Alex Baldock (Group Chief Executive) |
| Products |
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| Parent | Currys plc |
Currys is a well-known British store that sells electronics and offers repair services. It operates in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Currys specializes in large home appliances like refrigerators and washing machines, as well as smaller electronics, computers, and mobile phones. Between 2010 and 2021, the stores were known as Currys PC World.
Currys started as a bicycle shop in 1884. Over time, it began selling more types of goods. By the 1960s, it became a major seller of electrical items for homes. In 1984, another big retailer called Dixons bought Currys. The Currys name was then used for all their stores. From 2008, the company started opening larger stores outside of town centers. These stores combined Currys with PC World, another electronics store. Later, they also added sections for Carphone Warehouse, which sells mobile phones. In July 2021, it was announced that all Currys PC World stores would simply be called Currys again.
Contents
How Currys Started
Early Days of the Company
Henry Curry began making bicycles in Leicester, England, in 1884. He had left his old job to start his own business. In 1927, Currys became a public company. This happened when Henry's four sons combined their bicycle company with another one. The sons had been running their father's shops since he retired in 1909.
By the 1940s, Currys shops sold many different items. These included bicycles, toys, radios, and gramophones (old record players). The company grew a lot, especially between 1967 and 1984. During this time, Dennis Curry, Henry's grandson, was in charge. Currys became a main supplier of televisions and large home appliances. By 1984, Currys Group plc had 570 shops. This was twice as many as the company that bought it that year.
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Becoming Part of Dixons
In 1984, Dixons, another electronics store chain, bought Currys. Dixons is now known as Currys plc. Even after being bought, Currys kept its own name and identity. In April 2006, Dixons Stores Group said that most of its Dixons shops would change their name. They became Currys.digital, and later Currys Digital. In Ireland, Dixons shops changed to Currys in August 2008.
Before the Dixons rebranding, Currys had only a few small shops in town centers. Most of its stores were large "megastores" outside of towns. In 2007, the company announced that it would likely close its remaining High Street shops. This would happen when their rental agreements ended.
Currys PC World Stores
Dixons Retail started trying out a new idea in 2008. They began combining Currys and PC World shops into one large store. By 2016, the company decided to roll out this "three-in-one" store format. These new stores had Currys, PC World, and Carphone Warehouse sections all under one roof. This change happened across the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Currys Name Returns
After some changes in 2020 and 2021, Dixons Carphone announced a big rebranding. All Currys PC World stores changed their name to just Currys in October 2021. This brought the original Currys name back as the main brand.
Currys' Own Brands
Currys also sells electronics under its own brand names. These include Logik and Sandstrom. In the past, they also had a brand called Advent. These brands were first created when Dixons owned the company.
Company Views
In December 2023, Alex Baldock, the CEO of Currys, spoke about a planned increase in the National Minimum Wage. He said that the company believes it pays its employees well and plans to continue doing so. However, he also mentioned that a large wage increase, along with higher business taxes, shows that the government might not fully understand the retail industry.
