“We’re a family owned firm and that very much underlies everything we do” explains Mark Lynne who has run the electrical store on Walworth Road since he took over from his father in 1986.
His dad, Gordon, opened Lynne’s Electrical in 1952 and before that Mark’s grandparents ran Blackfriars Radio Limited
“My family has a long history in Elephant and Castle and Walworth Road and I was actually born in King’s College hospital. You can’t get more local than that” says Mark.
“People know us and they trust us. Whenever I’m out and about people always say hello and it’s the same for my staff.”
Like most high street retailers, Lynnes had to close the shop in March, but they continued to operate online and took orders over the phone. They especially tried to help those in urgent need, including supplying to NHS hospitals such as King’s College and the Princess Royal in Bromley.
“It’s not the same as being open” says Mark “but it’s helped take some of the sting away.” And they’ve also been delivering to the vulnerable and elderly. “People can’t be without a cooker or a fridge so we will go that extra mile.”
The other day Mark took a call from the daughter of a local 90-year-old woman.
“Whilst other companies would deliver a new fridge to her mum, no one would take it inside, so she phoned and ordered from us. We delivered it in our PPE and unpacked it and took the old fridge away, whilst her mother was in another room. The daughter lived miles away and was so grateful.”
My family has a long history in Elephant and Castle
Whilst chatting, Mark breaks off every so often to answer calls. It provides a good snapshot of how Lynnes is very much a part of the local community. An elderly gentleman who says he lives on the Old Kent Road needs a freezer; a local landlord needs two washer dryers and a woman calls about a cooker.
Mark promises to call them all back. His friendly tone and the personal touch makes Lynnes something pretty special in this world of online orders and large superstores.
“What I’m most proud of is that most people who deal with us come back again and again” says Mark. “All our staff are knowledgeable, helpful and friendly and when I train them, I always tell them to treat customers how they would like to be treated themselves, and to value them when they walk through the door.”
One of Lynnes’ major advantages over other retailers is that they offer really fast delivery, sometimes next day or even same day if an order is placed early in the morning.
“People are often astounded at the large range of products that we have on show and in stock from leading brands including Bosch, Samsung and Hotpoint and that we can deliver so quickly” says Mark.
“We have everything here from cookers and dishwashers to TVs and vacuum cleaners, plus small electrical appliances like kettles and toasters too” he adds.
And the shops catchment area is very wide. “There actually aren’t that many high street electrical shops anymore, so we get people coming here from Streatham and Croydon and even the West End and East London” Mark explains.
For more than 25 years, Lynnes Electrical has been a member of Euronics, the international electrical retail group.
“We’re still an independent company but linking with Euronics has given us access to lots more products and really good deals for our customers” Mark explains.
Ten years ago they started to offer more products online, although many people still prefer to shop in person. “Lots of customers use the website as a showroom and then come in to order and sort delivery etc.”
Lynnes Electrical employs ten full-time and a number of part-time staff and Mark has furloughed everyone on full pay.
“It never crossed my mind to do anything else. Everyone working for me still has to pay their rent and their bills and I didn’t want them fretting about that. The government has paid 80 per cent and we have topped up the 20 per cent out of our own pockets.”
Mark and his staff are all set to open, but they still have some issues to contend with.
“In mid May, Southwark Council closed the loading bays on Walworth Road to make more space for social distancing. This is a big issue for all the shops on Walworth Road who need to get deliveries in or out without being chased by traffic wardens so this needs to be sorted as soon as possible.”
In preparation for opening, Mark has done everything he can to make his customers and staff feel safe, including hand-sanitiser at the door, social distancing tape on the floor and masks and gloves for all his staff.
He says he doesn’t know what the demand will be like when they open but that, whatever happens, they’ll do their best in the circumstances.
“It’s been hard but we are resilient and we won’t be defeated by this” he says. “We will keep going and continue offering excellent deals and service and do our best to keep our customers happy.”
Lynnes Electrical
246-248 Walworth Road
London SE17 IJE
020 7703 6622
Return to the home page for the Elephant Magazine, Summer 2020