Hills Electricals Canvey on market as owner to semi-retire

Although it may appear small on the outside, it opens up into a treasure cove of appliances where Gary Hill spends his week carrying out repairs on all makes and models of domestic appliances.

However, the 62-year-old has now placed the business on the market and prepares to semi-retire, sell the shop, and take his business remote.

Gary has said he will be “sad to see the shop go”, which has been in his family for 58 years, but has other plans and accepts that neither of his sons wish to take on the shop.

Treasure cove - Hills Electricals (Image: Dedman Gray)

The shop, on 16 Waarden Road, is now being sold to a property developer and the plot could be turned into a home.

Gary said: “We are selling up but not the business, it is still going.

“This is one of the oldest businesses on Canvey, the actual business is not going, and we are still doing service work on the road.

“I am coming up to 63 and I don’t want to keep working, sitting here all day every-day.

“A lot of my friends are retired and do things on a Saturday, and I can’t as I am in the shop, we will still do service work on the road but not using this as a base, we will do it remotely.

“My sons don’t want it and I want my money in other things.”

Gary added that the shop is close to completing its sale to a property developer.

The business is being marketed for £185,000 by estate agent Dedman Gray.

Gary added: “It’s a shame for Canvey, the shops are closing here and the people who come in say you can’t find places like this anymore, we just had a Screwfix open, it has slowed down in the last few years.

“My brother retired seven years back, he was always in the shop, and I was on the road, I do service repairs on the road and when he retired we never wanted to employ people in here.

“I would be sad if it goes, it is all my life I have been here but also I haven’t been here all my life, only the last seven years.”