UK
Gillman’s, a commercial and domestic appliance retailer, celebrates 50 years of business this year, and puts much of this success down to being a Miele partner for 44 of those years. Founded by husband and wife team John and Erika Gillman (pictured), the business has seen three generations of the family spearhead success, helping it grow to become the 220 employee company it is today.
Founded as a service and repair company in 1969, Gillman’s spent its formative years getting to know businesses and people in need of washing machine fixes. Gillman’s saw the need for a laundry equipment supplier that could also offer quick service repairs, given that manufacturers are based far from many customers and therefore unable to act quickly when spares are needed. It then branched into laundry equipment sales before selling other white goods, supplying businesses and consumers in the area with the appliances as well as maintaining them.
Thanks to being an approved Miele partner, Gillman’s has been able to win over customers by supplying equipment manufactured by a globally recognised and trusted brand. The quality of the machines are a key selling point, and Gillman’s has seen many of the Miele machines it has sold exceed the 30,000 hours of functioning over their lifetime that the brand promises.
Robert Gillman, managing director at Gillman’s, says: “I joined the business a year into its existence when I was just 15, and to say that it’s changed in that time would be an understatement! I remember Gillman’s becoming a Miele partner, and that has allowed us to supply customers with quality products while also delivering the quick and efficient service that our excellent team provides.
“Celebrating our golden anniversary is an exciting milestone, and it has spurred us on to further business success for the sake of future generations. Family businesses aren’t all that common anymore, but they really encourage a close-knit culture and my family and I are very proud to have created that in our own business.”
Sam Bailey, director at the professional division of Miele, said: “Gillman’s was one of the first organisations we welcomed as an approved Miele partner. Over the years, our values, including quality, have aligned, and that’s been the key to our successful working relationship. We’re delighted to see them celebrate their golden anniversary and we wish them the best of luck for the next 50 years.”
