Electrical Appliances at Great Prices

Thompsons Discount Electrical Ltd is based in Worcester, just a few minutes from the M5 Motorway. They are a large specialist wholesaler that supplies a huge range of graded electrical goods, which have either slight cosmetic imperfections or slightly damaged packaging. Carl Thompson took over the running of the business from his father five years ago, with the help of Robin Woodhouse. Having spent a great deal of time working in every one of the company’s various departments, gaining a vast knowledge and experience of the business, it was the natural progression for Carl.

Thompson Discount Electrical 1Tony Thompson founded the company 40 years ago. He had been working at his parent’s fruit and vegetable store in Worcester, but decided to try something completely different for a living. After much thought, he chose to try his hand in the electrical retail business. He started the business in his garage, selling second hand TVs, this then led to him progressing to a stall in Worcester Indoor Market Hall where he refurbished vacuum cleaners and TVs.

Three years later he opened his first retail store and, over the following ten years, his business grew so much that he had to move to larger and larger premises until he eventually settled in a unit at Worcester Shopping Precinct. Over the years, Tony had built up contacts with various electrical companies and arranged to buy their overstocks, box damage and customer returns. Whilst at the Precinct, he found that all the basements from the shops were linked and generally unused. He then capitalised on this discovery by taking a lease out on the basements and used them as workshops for re-working electrical manufacturers’ returns.

The idea of buying faulty and non-faulty returns, direct from manufacturers, was an excellent way of keeping costs down to a minimum. An unusual side of the business is the sale of ‘Factory Graded’ lawnmowers and other electrical and petrol gardening equipment. Their first order, nineteen years ago, was for just five lawnmowers; Thompsons now receive between 400 and 700 lawnmowers and items of garden machinery every week. With this increase in business, extra warehousing has had to be sought and there is now a dedicated warehouse for gardening equipment from major suppliers such as Flymo, Bosch, Qualcast and McCulloch. Thompsons’ business has expanded tremendously with the ever- increasing ranges of graded products becoming available.

The company’s buying power also allows the purchase of large amounts of stock, with most items sold at just 30% of retail value. This enables traders to ‘double up’ and still sell to the public at hugely discounted prices. The vast product range at Thompsons Discount Electrical Ltd is split into different categories:
■ Audio & Visual
■ Beer/Wine Chillers
■ Garden Machinery
■ Heating & Cooling
■ Integrated Appliances
■ Washing Machines
■ Cookers
■ Fridge Freezers
■ Twin Tubs
■ Small Appliances
■ Cleaners
■ Electrical Bikes
■ Spare Parts
thompson discount electrical brand logos

Thompson Discount Electrical 2The company has continued to expand the range of household names that they supply. Along with Russell Hobbs and George Foreman products, they now also have Remington (shavers, straightners, hair clippers etc), health and beauty products from Beurer plus Kenwood and Delonghi items, as well as many more small appliances being available. These include; toasters, kettles, grills and blenders. They also have an exclusive contract for all the Bosch graded small appliances. All the products available from Thompsons Discount Electrical Ltd are checked, guaranteed and have product liability insurance with Aviva. This is a key point for market traders to take notice of as it means if a product malfunctions when it has been sold, they are insured. However, if electrical products are sold without this insurance, it means the market trader would be liable were they to go wrong. If you are buying products that are untested you are putting yourself at risk by having merchandise without product liability, however you do not have this problem at Thompsons, making it ideal for market traders.

Visitors are welcome to visit the warehouse, which is open Monday to Friday from 7.00am to 5.00pm, however it is advisable to make an appointment beforehand as the warehouse does become very busy at times.

It is also possible to visit on a Saturday, but this is strictly by appointment only. Visitors can also take advantage of Thompsons’ ‘Deals of the Day’, which vary, but offer further discounts on some ranges on a daily basis. You can email Thompsons at sales@tde.co.uk to receive the ‘Trade Only Offers’, however it is advisable to visit due to the wide range of changing stock and daily deals. Orders can be placed by email or telephone and most major credit cards are accepted. New traders and traders who are considering changing to selling these types of products are given invaluable advice by experienced Thompsons’ sales staff.
Carl told MTN,
“We pride ourselves on the quality of the products we sell and we even give our own guarantee or manufacturer’s warranty on products sold. We constantly diversify into different products areas that allow our customers to have a good mark-up.” He added, “The products we sell are tested and guaranteed to ensure our customers can make a profit with good margins so that they come back to us time after time.”

To contact Thompson Discount Electricals simply call  01905763376