Norfolk-based electrical retail chain Bennetts has been bought by Lowestoft-based Hughes Electrical after it collapsed into administration earlier this month.
Hughes Electrical, that operates 42 stores specialising in the sale and rental of home entertainment and kitchen appliances, will re-open six stores under the Bennetts name and the Bennetts website will become operational.
Redundancies have been made due to the administration but Hughes Electrical’s aim is to create 100 jobs with applications encouraged from former Bennetts staff.
It is hoped that some of the previous staff can be re-employed under the management of former Bennetts director Mark Ferdani.
Bennetts managing director Robert Hughes said the two brands compliment each other: “Bennetts tend to operate larger stores in out-of-town locations and are price driven. Hughes operates smaller stores in high street locations whether high levels of customer service and advice are paramount, ” he said.
Bennetts has 14 stores, mostly in East Anglia, and employs around 300 staff. The company, which last year recorded a turnover of £70 million, has reportedly been experiencing poor trading in what is a highly competitive part of the market.
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