Beacon Electrical Mayflower Grandstand

It’s been a long-awaited six years since we last sat down with Mark Higgins and learnt about all things Beacon Electrical, so it’s fantastic to have the chance once again to see what Mark and the team have been up to. A lot can happen in six years from seeing the increasing demand for eco-friendly appliances to the very exciting news involving Plymouth Argyle’s Mayflower Grandstand. Beacon Electrical has been one of our longest supporters and has been advertising with us since 2006! So we’re honoured to share this fantastic milestone for the business.

Let’s start from the beginning, Beacon Electrical is a second-generation family business which is currently run by Sales Director, Mark Higgins and his brother, Managing Director, Nick Higgins. The empire has been trading for 47 years and kept its first shop in Beacon Park, Plymouth. Since 1976, the business has expanded, opening further shops in Plymstock, and then in Totnes and Kingsbridge in the South Hams.

Offering an impressive range of electrical goods, from electrical wiring accessories and light bulbs, to range cookers and American fridge freezers. These days they are best known for their great prices on large kitchen appliances like washing machines and cookers, and their very successful website www.beaconelectrical.co.uk.

So what have Mark and the team been up to over the last six years when we met? “Wow - I cannot believe it has been that long! - The world seems to have changed so much in those years” says Mark, “but we have worked tirelessly to become even stronger in these difficult times, investing in the showrooms, warehousing and distribution, extending our stock holding and reach, and staffing.” Of course, there were, and are, many challenges they face currently, but Mark went on to say;

“I have to thank our amazing team of managers, delivery staff and retail team who worked solidly through the covid lockdowns with us to make sure we could still look after our local customers either by delivery or click and collect while adhering to the challenging covid restrictions.”

Being fans of Plymouth Argyle for as long as they can remember it only made sense to unite their business with their team. Forty years ago, Founder, Chris Higgins, seized the opportunity when he was invited to meet the Commercial Manager at PAFC where the conversation turned to potential sponsors. The light bulb moment saw Chris reach for his cheque book and the rest is history. Beacon Electrical became the first ever Argyle shirt sponsors, adorning the shirts with the business name. It just so happens that this was the time the football team reached the semi-finals of the 1983 FA-Cup game against Watford to which Mark exclaims, “A game which I still think we should have won!”

1983 Plymouth Argyle Football Shirt

From that first sponsoring of the shirts, Beacon Electrical then went on sponsoring the hoarding boards around the ground and even advertised all along the top of the old Lyndhurst Stand, in which Mark fondly remembers standing and watching the games as a young boy.

“We’ve now made a huge commitment to sponsor the whole of the grandstand, which is now known as The Beacon Electrical Mayflower Grandstand.”

Noting that other stands in the grounds were being renamed, Mark approached James Greenacre and Matt Kimberley from Argyle and they were over-the-moon to have a local business that wanted to come on board. It’s a collaboration that fitted into the PAFC vision of maintaining links with local businesses and fans, rather than grab the money from huge global entities.

Nick Higgins and James Greenacre

The exciting new addition to their repertoire has given Beacon Electrical a greater chance to reach out to the fans by offering competitions and promotions throughout the season either by social media or by match-day activity. Mark recalls, “We have already given away a built-in dishwasher to the winner of our first competition, and a top of the range Dyson cleaner, and there are many to follow. Make sure you look out for deals on the Plymouth Argyle Facebook page, and on the Beacon Electrical Facebook and Instagram pages.”

Known for their amazing deals on appliances, Beacon Electrical has been a member of the buying group Euronics since the 1990’s. Using this enhanced buying power means that Mark and the team are able to offer extremely competitive prices, matching or beating the likes of Currys, Ao & Argos. Whilst it’s impossible to keep everything in stock, they keep an extensive range in stock locally available for fast delivery, especially in the “kitchen appliance” department. With such strong direct access to all of the top Brands, the team can order specific items in for customers whether it be something they’ve requested or if it’s something that fits their specific needs. Understanding the market well, they are aware now-a-days, customers are looking for the complete solution when it comes to buying appliances, which is why they offer an in-house installation service for all large kitchen appliances, gas cookers (they only use local Gas Safe installers) and even TV’s - which are mainly displayed in their Totnes and Kingsbridge stores. To set themselves apart from the rest, they offer the installation services at a much lower price then Currys, Argos and AO.com as well as giving their customers the option of the “Beacon Protect warranty.” This is the two tiered competitive extended guarantee, depending on the level of cover needed.

Being a family run business, they employ a team that share the same passion and enthusiasm, “we look for people that have that glint in their eye and are prepared to go the extra mile for our customers,” says Mark, “and making sure the customer goes away happy in the knowledge we will look after them.” That is what still drives them after all these years, even though they get involved in the back office running of the company, Mark and Nick still love to get out onto the sales floor, or maybe on the phone, with the customers.

In the current climate, we are opting for more eco-friendly options which don’t cost a fortune, but will have large savings for our customers over the life span of the product. Over the last couple years, there has been a noticeable shift where people are aware of the running costs of all electrical appliances and the savings from eco-friendly appliances such as Heat Pump Dyers, which recycles the heat/energy. There are a great deal of products on the market now to help with running costs. Sometimes the smallest of items can make the greatest differences. It may come as a surprise but there has been a huge rise in dehumidifiers over the last years, as it’s been publicised they help with drying washing and are more cost effective than traditional tumble driers. Not to mention they purify the air of your home!

“Many other brands are extremely focused on using recycled materials in the construction of their appliances. Beko, Hotpoint, Bosch - they are very active in making sure their environmental impact is reduced.”

They’ve worked on creating technology to use less water and electricity in washing machines and dishwashers, keeping food fresher in refrigerators, and everyday appliances like air fryers and slow cookers can offer consumers more energy-efficient cooking choices. Simply switching your light bulbs can make a huge difference, “We have always celebrated the LED light bulb as one of the best ways to save energy. They generally save 90% of the energy used by a traditional light bulb used to use and last up to 30 times longer- but of course you do need to make sure you get the right ones !! We only stock the highest quality of LED light bulbs and most of them have at least a 3 year guarantee. This is important when you are buying something that should last in the region of 10 - 15 years, if not longer. As always, our experienced staff can help you to choose the right options with whatever electrical purchase you make.” advises Mark. It’s already been a pretty monumental year for Beacon Electrical, so what’s next on the goal list?

“Firstly, we want to make sure we continue to look after our existing, loyal customers. We need to thank them for their ongoing support of our local, family business and we need to make sure we continue to offer products and services to keep them happy again the next time they visit us.”

With the exciting partnership with Plymouth Argyle, which is believed to expand their reach to new audiences they haven’t engaged with before. The primary goal is to enhance their social media presence and connect with a younger demographic. While this presents a new opportunity with their limited involvement in this area, they’re committed to overcoming it and achieve their objective of engaging with all customers in the manner they find most comfortable.

Our online growth has been tremendous through the COVID-19 period and we have been able to continue that acceleration as we have return to a more normal day to day operation, we have expanded our team to have dedicated Web Sales operatives which enables us to translate our high level of customer service to the ecommerce channel something we are passionate about - providing the showroom-like experience online. We sell high ticket practical products that customers often need support when buying , we make sure we speak directly to these customers to make sure the orders are correct and to prepare them for the delivery and installation experience.