Hughes Electrical

Hughes Electrical is a century-old, family-run retailer founded in 1921 by Frank Hughes in Lowestoft. What began as a small family shop has grown into a host of stores across East Anglia. Central to the Hughes experience is staying true to its roots of community spirit, personal service, and trusted expertise.

With their roots firmly in Lowestoft, Hughes Electricals was excited to open a new, larger store in their hometown. Brand awareness was already high among an older audience, but Hughes needed to capture attention from a younger, family segment.

The task at hand: to launch Hughes Electricals’ new flagship store in Lowestoft with a bang and bring a new family audience through the door.

A launch campaign to make a statement, that Hughes Electricals is here to stay, deeply rooted in East Anglia, and is proud to be powering the daily lives of its customers. We created a buzz by turning everyday appliances into celebrated hidden heroes through:

• Hidden heroes treasure hunt: Appliances became stars in a community-driven social media game, with prizes hidden across iconic Lowestoft spots. The result? All prizes found within minutes of being teased, seeing engaged families on the move, and the town buzzing with excitement around the treasure hunt.
• Hyper-local social amplification: Paid social turned excitement into spectacle, delivering 145,000+ impressions and over 1,600 engagements in just seven days.
• Press to put Hughes on the map: Local and regional media framed Hughes as a future-focused, hometown champion, with coverage reaching 1.3 million people in print and online.
• Epic store opening event: The flagship store didn’t just open quietly – it achieved a week’s trade in a single day, proving that thoughtful storytelling and community connection drive real results.

A disruptive but effective PR campaign, framing a positive move for Hughes

Our approach tackled head-on the relocation and used skilled media relations activity to positively shape the narrative. Simultaneously, we delivered a fun and engaging campaign to hit the target audience which generated excitement and anticipation around the new location – and ultimately drove footfall.