Happy 100th birthday, Geen & Richards

Geen & Richards was born in 1909, after an association was formed between Thomas Richards and Herbert Henry Geen, who were well experienced in the furniture retail industry and ventured into their very own business.

They opened their first store on the ground floor of 113 President Street in Johannesburg and within a year, moved to larger premises on Market Street because the business was doing so well.

Presently, the Geen & Richards team can celebrate 100 years of growth, success and the legacy left behind by the founders, who are unfortunately no longer here to enjoy the fruits of their labour and celebrate this milestone.

The retailer's marketing executive, Heidi Iori, says, "Geen & Richards has always been a brand of top quality in both furniture and customer service. Today, we simply try to uphold the standard and even improve it in order to allow this brand to live on and grow."

In the past, they used to sell locally produced furniture that was of great quality and exclusive to Geen & Richards. The criteria for selecting furniture has not changed at all over the years, Geen & Richards has kept to the values that these two gentlemen set from the beginning.

"Our customers have a unique style that we can relate to and translate into their styles of furniture for them, even their children become our clients as they grow up, selecting our products to keep a touch of home in their own homes," Iori explains.

Presently, there are about 65 Geen & Richards stores found country wide and three stores are planned to open in the Western Cape within a month or two.

With fashion trends changing over the years, the brand evolved from exclusively traditional solid wood designs to the modern features of today's mode making it a store that caters for a selection of tastes.

"We realise and appreciate that there are many people out there who are looking for something different for their homes and we take pride in being able to offer styles of furniture that is unique in design and exclusive to us," Iori continues.

Geen & Richards forms part of the furniture retail group, Ellerine Holdings Limited.