“I started out in 1987 when I was 21, cleaning up second-hand cookers in my dad’s garage and then ended up selling them in a shop, with a second-hand van to help transport them.”

It is that dedication and business mind which has seen Mark’s company become a household name across the county.

“We’ve been selling brand new products for fifteen years and have a £2m state-of-the-art warehouse out at Bardon, just off Junction 22 of the M1. The three units, 35,000 sq feet in size, houses £2.5m in stock. We have over fifty employees, fifteen lorries, have recently spent £250,000 on software and make

300 deliveries a day. We are ideally situated for deliveries across the UK.”

With the recession dominating the headlines, you could be forgiven for thinking that Marks Electrical would be struggling, but nothing could be further from the truth.

“We are performing well against our opposition in the current climate. Empire Direct has recently gone bust, as have many others trading on the Internet. I feel that our strength is being able to pass on our discounts on container prices to our customers, which makes us competitive.”

This is coupled with Mark’s hard working commitment to customer service, which he sees as a key facet of the modern business world.

“We deliver directly and instantly to customers, using our own drivers and our service is second to none. We even offer to recycle their unwanted goods. We are beating the opposition because we are working to smaller margins.”

However, despite the success, Mark is keen to remain loyal to his Leicester roots and still sees it as the company’s true home.

“I think people in Leicester do care about supporting local business. We do twenty-five drops across the county, six days a week and our lorries are always full.”

With such success there would seem to be little need for advertising and promotions. But Mark is a firm believer in the role of corporate social responsibility for businesses, emphasised by his commitment to the Leicestershire community.

“My eldest son Jack plays for Loughborough Emmanuel, who I sponsor, and Shepshed Dynamo, and I also sponsor Kirby Muxloe U-13’s. My youngest son Oliver is a keen snowboarder and is involved in other sports at his school, such as basketball. I enjoy helping out with youth teams and offering financial support to keep them running. I moved away from traditional advertising in favour of supporting local sports teams.”

And it doesn’t stop there. Marks Electrical are set to announce a unique partnership with community news agency, Citizens’ Eye, which will see Mark give away four match tickets to each home Leicester City FC game.

“It’s all about the kids isn’t it? I want to reward kids that work hard, show enthusiasm and aren’t just moaning about the fact that they haven’t been given a handout.”

That hard work isn’t confined to the kids either, as Mark is determined to keep Marks Electrical on an upward curve.

“I’m always looking to increase the size and profitability of the company. We went through a steep growth going back three years and after taking stock I’m ready for us to grow once again.”

For more information on Mark and his company visit www.markselectrical.co.uk, his national electrical goods site www.365electrical.com or call 0116 2421 365.