After 25 year’s working for a national electrical supply company, Local family man John Millward decided to start his own. He had always had dreams of being his own boss and in 2012 that dream came true. Like most local, independent ventures, GSM Electrical Supplies had a modest start. With a small budget and a big dream, John found some shared office space in Sheepbridge and the next day GSM Electrical Supplies was born.
It didn’t take long for John’s hard work, diligence and experience to pay off. In 2013 he was able to expand operations and opened his very own store in Holmewood, creating several jobs in the local area. But John didn’t stop there…
Fast forward to the present day and GSM Electrical Supplies have just expanded operations (again) and have a shiny new store on Whitting Valley Road, creating even more jobs and further strengthening our local community. Even more impressive than GSM’s rapid growth is their current list of customers including Sainsbury’s, Tesco and the NHS. Fantastic!
John’s not only created jobs for the people of Chesterfield, but for his daughter Lucy as well. Lucy started working for her dad about three years ago whilst studying speech therapy at Sheffield University. She needed a part-time job whilst attending uni and her good old dad stepped in and filled the gap. Lucy quickly learnt the family business and fell in love with it. She now leads on digital media and marketing, has recently completed a course at the Digital Marketing Institute and has some big plans for the future of GSM Electrical Supplies.
We asked Lucy what it likes having her dad as a boss and what she loves about working for GSM?
“I never realised just how hard my dad worked until I started here. My respect and admiration for him, for all he’s achieved is immeasurable. Plus, It’s brought us a lot a closer and I get to see my dad everyday which is great! The best thing about leading on the media and advertising side of things is meeting new people and supporting our communities. We recently sponsored a ‘Wish upon a star’ event and have just started sponsoring the Chesterfield Town FC under 10’s football team which my son plays for. We plan to do more community initiatives soon, it’s always good to give a little back”.
“Being a creative person I enjoy creating content for our social media pages. At first it was a tough nut to crack, trying to make engaging posts about light bulbs and electrical cables haha, but I feel I’ve cracked it now”.
GSM Electrical Supplies have a range of products in store including bulbs, lamps, cables, switches, sockets and junction boxes. You name it, they sell it!
GSM provided an essential front-line service during the lockdown phase of the pandemic supplying not only some the UK’s largest supermarkets, but the NHS as well. Shipping electrical products up and down the country at a moments notice to pop-up hospitals, ensuring the supply met the demand.
So what’s next on the horizon for GSM Electrical Supplies? We asked the man with the plan, John.
“At the moment our priority is to get our new Whitting Valley Road branch up and running, and busy! For the long term, we’re hoping to open another branch in a different town. Personally, I’d like to get more golf in, all work and no play is ruining my short game!”
Whether you are an electrician by trade or looking to make some home improvements, John, Lucy and the team are on hand to help. From Bulbs to sockets, cables to switches. GSM Electrical Supplies have got you covered.
GSM Electrical Supplies
Unit 17C, Whitting Valley Road
Chesterfield, S41 9EY
01246 488938
Words: Simon Paterson
Images: GSM Electrical Supplies