Comet

A Little about Comet

Key facts and Figures

• Market position is No.2 in the UK
• Over 250 stores (comprising 175 core stores, 76 destination stores, 7 two-storey stores)
• 2,793,644 sq ft of trading space
• 10,000 employees
• Comet is a Kesa Electricals plc operating company. For further information on the Kesa Electricals plc Group go to www.kesaelectricals.com

About Comet

Comet is the second largest electrical retailer in the UK and part of KESA Electricals plc, a pan-European group operating in seven European countries. Its focus is on giving customers the best price, best choice and best service. Comet Group plc is a member of the Kesa Electricals Group. A full list of companies in the Group is available from www.kesaelectricals.co.uk. We, the Group, are committed to providing users with an Internet experience that respects their privacy. We adhere strictly to the requirements of the UK Data Protection Act 1998.

Click here to shop online at Comet

Comet Sales and After Sales Facts

• 15 Home delivery platforms
• Approx. 1,000 employees
• 1.3 million deliveries completed annually

Comet is unique in the scale of its after sales operation, providing:

• 19 service centres
• 700 engineers
• nearly 1 million jobs completed annually and through its call centres in Hull and Clevedon:

• 600+ colleagues taking 125,000+ calls per week

All above figures correct as of June 2006

Comet Company History

Year	Description
1933	The Company is founded in 1933 by George Hollingberry in Hull as Comet Battery Stores Limited - a two man business charging batteries and accumulators for customer wireless sets. The Company then moves in to the radio rental business and by 1939 has 2,500 accounts with a small fleet of vans.
1968	Pioneers of out-of-town electrical retailing – the first Comet superstore opens in Hull.
1970	The Company goes public.
1984	£129 million take-over by Kingfisher plc.
1987	Verdict recognise Comet as the best retailer of electrical goods in Britain.
1991	Opens first service headquarters in Leeds.
1995	The launch of The Comet Price Index in November 1995 reinforces the company's commitment to price. It heralds its return to its "no nonsense, straight talking" heritage with a definitive guide to electrical products for the home published every Saturday in the national media and updated daily on Channel 4 Teletext.
1996	Comet acquires Norweb Retail and increased its store portfolio to over 250 stores nationwide.
1998	Comet establishes a state of the art Call Centre in Hull to manage customer liaison.
1999	New Destination store format is launched, new concept stores open in Paisley, Greenwich and Reading. Comet launches its Every Day Low Price strategy. Comet launches fully transactional website www.comet.co.uk Comet wins Best Industry Initiative Award in National Recycling Awards.
2000	In August, Comet becomes one of the founding partners of RENEW NORTH EAST, a non profit company providing high quality vocations training for people who are long term unemployed, in remanufacture and recycling of white goods donated by Comet. See Environmental/Social Responsibility.
2001	Leading retail specialist KPMG say, in Retail Week (9 November 2001), that Comet's new concept 'destination stores' pose a serious threat to all competitors in the electricals industry. Comet is the first retailer to sign up to BBC Watchdog's 'Delivering the Goods' charter. Readers from Woman Magazine vote the Comet Home Delivery Service the winner in a consumer survey.
2002	Comet launches latest flagship 'Destination' (Mark 2) store at St Andrew's Quay in Hull – 70 years after opening its first ever store in the city.
2003	Comet demerges from the Kingfisher Group. Comet, along with its sister electrical companies throughout Europe are separated from Kingfisher to form a new group known as Kesa Electricals. See www.kesaelectricals.com for further information.
2005	In July, Comet officially opened its Clevedon Customer Support Centre. In August, Comet re-aligns its business to a customer service driven model with the aim of becoming Britain's Most Trusted Electrical Specialist. New signage for over 250 sites and the Comet website, new black and gold uniforms for 8,000 employees, a new brand TV campaign. e-learning systems are installed in all stores. Deliberate Customer Journey initiative is rolled out in all stores.
2006	Hugh Harvey is appointed Managing Director in March 2006. DCJ initiative launched in home delivery in June 2006.