About us
Empiredirect.co.uk and Richer Sounds are unlisted PLCs 100% owned by Julian Richer, the founder and managing director of Richer Sounds.
EmpireDirect.co.uk is an internet-based company devoted to selling competitively priced large and small domestic appliances deals from all the big manufacturers, along with great Contract and Pay-As You-Go mobile phones deals.
Richer Sounds is a retailer and e-tailer of hi-fi, home cinema and flat screen TV equipment with emphasis on value for money and expert advice. We also try to give good customer service.
History
Julian began at the age of 14 by buying and selling hi-fi separates while still at school. By the age of 17 he had three people working for him and in 1978, aged 19, the company formally began trading when Julian opened his first shop at London Bridge, with the help of the late Vic Odden, the photography retailer. For the past 20+ years this store has been featured in the Guinness Book of Records for the highest sales per square foot of any retail outlet in the world - which of course, is thanks to you!
Richer Sounds is now the proud owner of the Empire Direct website, so you can shop for home appliances with confidence and at a great price, too.
Now
Empiredirect.co.uk stocks everything from washing machines to cookers and kettles to ice cream makers. We are confident you’ll find the perfect appliance for your home. Browse our range of over 4000 lines from the biggest brands including Hotpoint, Bosch, Electrolux, Samsung, Zanussi, Whirlpool and more, and enjoy delivery direct to your door.
Richer Sounds trades in over 50 stores nationwide, with 10 in London alone, and are the biggest hi-fi retailer in the country. As a privately owned company, we have no plans to expand quickly. Our intention is to go for controlled growth in an orderly and profitable manner.
Changes
Empiredirect.co.uk represents an exciting opportunity to bring Richer Sounds’ expertise to a new arena. We eagerly anticipate bringing you the best deals in the home appliance market, backed by the trading reputation earned by over 30 years in home electronics retailing.
Historically, Richer Sounds has been known for selling budget audio equipment in a ‘pile it high and sell it cheap’ fashion, but in recent years we’ve responded to a shift in the electronics retail market and expanded our range from the purely audio to encompass plasma and LCD TVs. In a similar vein, 2007/8 saw us launch ranges of audiophile hi-fi, multi-room and high-end home cinema separates, with many stores adding home-styled demonstration rooms where you can experience the quality of sound and vision in comfort.
An installation service has also been developed, covering home quotations, wall-mounting TVs and building complete home theatre rooms for our customers. As part of this process we’ve had a corporate rebrand, which involved not only redesigning our logo and literature, but also a huge ongoing programme of facelifts (both inside and out), expansions and relocations of our stores.
Saving you money
We monitor and react to the competition’s prices on a daily basis in a never-ending quest to deliver the best products at phenomenal prices.
Our Philosophy
We want to ensure that you get the desired results from your choices. We insist on changing items you are not happy with, or offering you a refund if you wish. This applies up to 7 days after purchase for all internet or mail-order purchases.
Julian Richer encourages everyone (customers and employees) to shape the shopping experience by asking for their feedback, both positive and negative. Each store provides freepost cards that get sent directly to him. Shoppers get to rate their visit via a questionnaire attached to every receipt, and Julian responds personally to any negative feedback.
We also have a suggestion scheme in which colleagues are strongly encouraged to participate to help shape our company. It is widely acknowledged as one of the most successful in terms of the number of suggestions received per employee and has gone on to become the model for many other businesses, including the Halifax bank and Asda supermarkets. It has also been cited by academics as an example of a good idea system, most notably Dr Alan G Robinson of the Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst, in his paper ‘How the Best Managers and Organisations Tap the Ideas of their Front Line People.’ Julian and Richer Sounds have also been mentioned in many business books.
Our Credentials
Winner of Best Retailer ‘WHICH’ awards 2010
Richer Sounds has also received recognition from Business in the Community for its contributions to charity. The company currently funnels 15% of its profits into charitable organisations, making it one of the most generous donators (in percentage terms) of any company in the UK.
In 2002, Richer Sounds was judged as the best British-owned company to work for by the Sunday Times. It has also been recognised by the government-backed Investors in People scheme.
Our Green Credentials
Since 1 July 2007 the UK's Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations have given members of the public the opportunity to deposit their old electrical items for recycling free of charge.
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is the fastest growing waste stream in the UK, growing by at least 5% each year. The public disposes of over 1.2 million tones of electrical and electronic waste (equivalent of 150,000 double decker buses) in the UK each year in landfill sites. Not only has it been estimated that landfill space will run out within the next ten years but depositing WEEE in landfill sites can have negative impacts on the environment, polluting soil, air and water quality, which in turn can have negative impacts on human and animal health.
Much of the WEEE that ends up in landfill sites could have been recycled. The WEEE Regulations aim to reduce the quantity of WEEE disposed of in this way and to encourage everyone to play a part in protecting our environment.
As a conscientious business, we have chosen to join the Distribution Take Back Scheme. Through this scheme, we have paid towards the provision and improvement of recycling facilities throughout the UK so that our customers can conveniently recycle their old TVs and hi-fi equipment free of charge. To remind you to recycle, all new electrical products are marked with a crossed out wheeled bin symbol.
 To find your nearest recycling sites for waste electrical and electronic equipment please ring your local council or visit www.recycle-more.co.uk and simply type your postcode into the recycle bank locator. The website also offers great free practical and detailed recycling advice to help you to minimise your effect on the environment.
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