Family reveal how they turned Leigh shop into record-breaking £18MILLION empire

The Brown family ‘lived and breathed’ their TV business when they first opened up shop in 1996, and still do to this day.

But the company has changed dramatically over the last 26 years.

Their high street electricals store proudly remains in Leigh, however they have diversified to supply bookies, pubs, and hotels across the country - and last year turned over a record £18.6 million.

Despite dad Jim Brown passing away in 2013, the TVD Group is still very much a family affair, run by brothers Dan Brown and Matthew Brown.

Jim, who died at 68 after battling bowel cancer that had spread to his brain, had a long and prosperous career in the technology industry.

Starting out as a TV engineer, he worked his way up to managing director for a national company.

Taking his two sons under his wing, they learnt all there was to know about the job, and joined their dad at the national firm before going it alone.

“The business is our dad’s legacy,” operations director Dan, 50, said.

“It was his passion. He’d been in it [the industry] all his life and saw every aspect. Been in his blood since he were a lad.

“He always wanted to open his own shop."

Dan remembers their humble beginnings in business well as he was 26-years-old when their shop opened, while his younger brother was 21.

It was just the four of them, Dan, Matthew, Jim, and mum Patricia, 74, who recently retired.

Now they have 54 staff.

“We more or less did everything, sold during the day, and when we had stock delivered, we unloaded the wagons, stacked and stored it, then in the evenings, we delivered the products as well,” said Dan, who is Bolton born and bred.

“We lived and breathed the shop. We still do.”

While the electronics store is ‘buoyant’, Dan says, it used to be