A FAMILY electrical business which has faced down competition from large corporates celebrates its 75th anniversary this weekend.

Herbert Todd & Son started in 1936 when Herbert Todd started to run an electrical contracting business from his home in Old Earswick.

Today the business has grown almost out of recognition, with two large premises on Percy’s Lane, off Navigation Road in York, and York Road, Acomb, but it retains its family roots.

During the war Herbert served in the RAF, but when he returned to York with his wife Nancy, who he met at the Martinmas fair in St George’s Field, York, he started up his business again on Castlegate, then Tower Street, eventually moving it to its current site in Percy’s Lane, off Navigation Road.

Nancy opened a shop in Petergate, York, adding a retail side to the business and this later expanded to the Acomb branch.

The couple’s son Graham, joined the business in 1971, aged 25, after training as an apprentice engineer at the electricity board.

He took over the business and set up a new arm renting televisions and video recorders, which is still flourishing today having evolved to include white goods, he said.

“Whereas rental has been in decline with the nationals, local firms are still able to carry out a useful business for local people,” he said.

Now Graham’s sons are taking over the two main lines of the business, while he takes a more strategic viewpoint.

Matt, 36, joined in 2000 and heads up the retail side of the business. David, 35, joined in September last year after working in construction and will run the contracting side of the business.

As well as holding their own as a family firm against the big boys, Graham now hopes they can help his business grow in future.

As part of European buying consortium, Euronics, he is trying to attract big companies like Curry’s to join the movement, which he hopes will bring prices down for everyone.

He said: “In this country we have about 600 members, all are family firms similar to ourselves.

There’s a movement at the moment to get it better known in Britain, because in places like Italy, it includes the big names.

“If they joined too it could give us the buying power to be able to compete with anybody.”