P. C. Richard & Son

P.C. Richard & Son, Inc.
Private
Industry Retailing
Founded September 26, 1909 (1909-09-26)
Headquarters Farmingdale, New York, U.S.
Number of locations
 66 (November 2011)
Key people
 Gregg Richard, President and CEO
Revenue IncreaseUS $1.29 billion (2007)
IncreaseUS $ Unknown
Number of employees
 2,700 (2007)
Website www.pcrichard.com

P.C. Richard & Son, commonly known as simply P.C. Richard, is the largest chain of private, family-owned appliance, television, electronics, and mattress stores in the United States.[1] Its stores are located in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, with the majority of the stores located on Long Island and in the New York City boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn. The company is also known for its trademark whistle jingle created by Soundsmith worker Leer Leary.

History

Pieter Christian Richard left Holland in 1899 in pursuit of the American dream. In 1909, he opened a small hardware store in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn (“Work Well Done” 14). In October of that same year, P.C.’s son, A.J., was born. Born into the business less than a month after it opened, A.J. played an important role from the beginning. He spent his childhood helping out at the store, only leaving it to go to school. When he completed ninth grade in 1923, A.J. decided to drop out of school and focus entirely on helping his family and building the business (“Work Well Done” 25). A.J. was responsible for introducing the first electric appliance to the inventory, the electric clothes iron, as well as time payments so his customers could afford them (“Work Well Done” 32). On February 1, 1947, A.J. officially took over as the company president and majority shareholder. It was around this time that he began to introduce his sons, Peter and Gary, to the family business (“Work Well Done” 58). Soon, the company grew into a chain as it expanded into Long Island. A.J. promoted himself to chairman of the board in 1974, and he held that position until his death, well into his nineties. Peter and Gary were originally named co-presidents, but this arrangement changed in 1982, when Gary became president and Peter became executive vice president. Soon, Gary’s son Gregg began to work his way into the fabric of the company in the same way his father and grandfather had, until he became president in 2004. A.J. died weeks later at ninety-five years old.

Growth and expansion

P.C. Richard and Son expanded into New Jersey in 1993 (“Work Well Done” 111). Between 1995 and 2003, it opened fifteen new showrooms in New Jersey, Westchester County, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island (“Work Well Done” 127).

In 2009, P.C. Richard and Son opened 6 new stores in former Circuit City locations, including its first in Connecticut. It continued to expand in Connecticut in 2010, opening stores in Milford, North Haven, Danbury, Newington Manchester, and Enfield.[2] The first Pennsylvania superstore opened in Philadelphia in June of that year.

The company added mattresses to its inventory in 2014, featuring Sealy, Stearns & Foster, and Tempur-Pedic brands in fourteen stores.

In 2016, P.C. Richard and Son began an exclusive retail partnership with Beko, one of Europe's leading appliance brands. This is Beko's first appearance in the United States market.

Official sponsors

References

  1. ↑ "Beating the Odds: How PC Richard & Son, the largest privately held appliance and electronics retailer in the country, continues to thrive through 100 years and four generations". Growing Your Business. PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 1, 2014.
  2. ↑ P.C. Richard & Son New Stores, P.C. Richard & Son Website as of August 23, 2010
  1. "Our History." Our History. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2016. <http://www.pcrichard.com/our-company/history>.
  2. Smith, Jim H. "Work Well Done." Old Lyme: Greenwich Group, 2009. Print.
  3. "WebCite Query Result." WebCite Query Result. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2016. <http://www.webcitation.org/6PG1fB5SD>.
  4. "Family Matters In P.C. Richards' Growth." Tribunedigital-thecourant. N.p., 2010. Web. 23 May 2016. <http://articles.courant.com/2010-08-24/business/hc-haar-pc-richard-column-20100823_1_manchester-store-milton-rosenberg-circuit-city>.
  5. P.C. Richard Adds Mattress Departments. Twice. N.p., 2014. Web. 31 May 2016. <http://www.twice.com/news/retail/pc-richard-adds-mattress-departments/47258>.
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