{{Short description|Chain of American household goods stores}} {{Use American English|date=January 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2026}} {{Infobox company | name = P.C. Richard & Son, Inc. | logo = P.C._Richard_&_Son_Logo.jpg | image = File:PC_Richard_&_Son_(48236939881).jpg | image_caption = Location in Upper East Side, New York City | type = Private | industry = Retail | founded = {{start date and age|1909|9|26}} | founders = Alfred J. Richard<br />Pieter Christian Richard | location = Farmingdale, New York, U.S. | key_people = Gregg Richard (President and CEO)<ref name=PCRichard.NYP2005>{{cite news |newspaper=The New York Post |url=https://nypost.com/2005/10/11/a-new-york-institution |title=A New York Institution |author=Jasmin K. Williams |date=October 11, 2005}}</ref> | area_served = Northeastern United States | revenue = {{increase}}US$1.5 billion (2008)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nytimes.com/2009/02/18/business/18carteret.html|title=P. C. Richard Takes On the New Jersey Turnpike|date=February 17, 2009|last1=Siwolop|first1=Sana|work=The New York Times}}</ref> | num_employees = ~3,000 (2018)<ref>{{cite web |date=January 25, 2018 |url=http://www.unionsquarenyc.org/unionsquareblog/2018/1/24/usq-bids-a-fond-farewell-to-pc-richard-son |title=Thank You, P.C. Richard & Son for 20+ Great Years in Union Square |website=Union Square Partnership |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228084820/https://www.unionsquarenyc.org/unionsquareblog/2018/1/24/usq-bids-a-fond-farewell-to-pc-richard-son |archive-date=2020-02-28}}</ref> }} '''P.C. Richard & Son''', commonly known as simply '''P.C. Richard''', is the largest chain of private, family-owned appliance, television, electronics, and mattress stores in the United States.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title= Beating the Odds: How PC Richard & Son, the largest privately held appliance and electronics retailer in the country, continues to thrive through 100 years and four generations |work= Growing Your Business |volume= 61 |date= 2010 |publisher= PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP |url= http://www.pwc.com/en_US/us/private-company-services/assets/gyb-vol-61-beating-the-odds.pdf |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20120229093236/http://www.pwc.com/en_US/us/private-company-services/assets/gyb-vol-61-beating-the-odds.pdf |url-status= live |archivedate= February 29, 2012 }}</ref> Its 66 stores are located in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, with the majority of the stores located on Long Island, including the New York City boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn.
==History== [[File:Circuit City Manchester, CT (8279500011).jpg|thumb|left|A P.C. Richard & Son store in Manchester, Connecticut, after replacing a former Circuit City store.]] In 1909, Pieter Christian Richard, who left Holland in 1899, opened a small hardware store in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn (“''Work Well Done''” 14). In October of that same year, P.C.’s son, Alfred J. Richard (A.J.), was born. Born into the business less than a month after it opened, A.J. played an important role from the beginning. He spent his childhood helping out at the store, only leaving it to go to school. When he completed ninth grade in 1923, A.J. decided to drop out of school and focus entirely on helping his family and building the business (“''Work Well Done''” 25). A.J. was responsible for introducing the first electric appliance to the inventory, the electric clothes iron, as well as time payments so his customers could afford them (“''Work Well Done''” 32).
On February 1, 1947, A.J. officially took over as the company president and majority shareholder. It was around this time that he began to introduce his sons, Peter and Gary, to the family business (“''Work Well Done''” 58). Soon, the company grew into a chain as it expanded into Long Island. After the death of his father P.C. in 1972, A.J. promoted himself to chairman of the board in 1974, and he held that position until his death, well into his nineties. Peter and Gary were originally named co-presidents, but this arrangement changed in 1982, when Gary became president and Peter became executive vice president. Soon, Gary’s son Gregg began to work his way into the fabric of the company in the same way his father and grandfather had, until he became president in 2004. A.J. died weeks later at ninety-five years old. "The fourth generation, Gregg Richard, Bonni Rondinello and Peter Richard, III" are now involved in helping to run what their great-grandfather began.<ref name=PCRichard.NYP2005/><ref name="PCRichards.NYT2003">{{cite news |author=Strugatch |first=Warren |date=December 14, 2003 |title=P.C. Richard Takes a 'Down Home' Approach |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/14/nyregion/li-work-pc-richard-takes-a-down-home-approach.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231006024619/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/14/nyregion/li-work-pc-richard-takes-a-down-home-approach.html |archive-date=October 6, 2023 |newspaper=The New York Times |quote='There Is a Difference,' the retailer's current campaign, attempts to depict what Mr. Richard, a grandson of the founder, describes as four generations of family involvement in operations and management, informed and friendly sales representatives, and deep roots in the area.}}</ref>
==Growth and expansion== P.C. Richard and Son expanded into New Jersey in 1993 (“''Work Well Done''” 111). Between 1995 and 2003, it opened fifteen new showrooms in New Jersey, Westchester County, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island (“''Work Well Done''” 127).
In 2009, P.C. Richard and Son opened 6 new stores in former Circuit City locations, including its first in Connecticut. It continued to expand in Connecticut in 2010, opening stores in Milford, North Haven, Danbury, Newington, Manchester, and Enfield.<ref name=":2">[http://www.pcrichard.com/custserv/content.jsp?pageName=new-store P.C. Richard & Son New Stores] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101220145637/http://www.pcrichard.com/custserv/content.jsp?pageName=new-store |date=2010-12-20 }}, P.C. Richard & Son Website as of August 23, 2010</ref> The first Pennsylvania superstore opened in Philadelphia in June of that year.
The company added mattresses to its inventory in 2014, featuring Sealy, Stearns & Foster, and Tempur-Pedic brands in fourteen stores.
In 2016, P.C. Richard and Son began an exclusive retail partnership with Beko, one of Europe's leading appliance brands. This is Beko's first appearance in the United States market.
===Builders Division=== Separate from its retail operations, the company has a unit it calls its Builders Division, to arrange bulk purchases by builders, property managers and large facilities.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fordham Specific Agreements and Programs |url=https://www.fordham.edu/info/25105/procurement_operations/8151/fordham_specific_agreementsprograms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240906211127/https://www.fordham.edu/about/leadership-and-administration/administrative-offices/office-of-finance/about-us/finance-groups/strategic-sourcing-and-office-services/procurement-operations/specific-agreements/ |archive-date=September 6, 2024 |access-date=September 6, 2024 |website=Fordham University |quote=...has a specialty agreement with P.C. Richard's Builders' Division}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=October 25, 2012 |title=Queens Bronx Builders Association Serving NYC |url=http://www.manhattanbuzz.nyc/manhattan-builders-contractors---queens-bronx-builders-association-cms-973 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010021218/http://www.manhattanbuzz.nyc/manhattan-builders-contractors---queens-bronx-builders-association-cms-973#expand |archive-date=October 10, 2020 |website=The Manhattan Buzz}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.elmcitycommunities.org/Data/PressReleases/May%2520minutes.pdf |title=MINUTES Regular Meeting of the Board of Commissioners |quote=option to renew the contract with P.C. Richard Builders Division for the purchase of}}</ref>
===Official sponsorships=== {{columns-list|colwidth=27em| * Official Appliance, Electronics and Mattress retailer of the New York Yankees * Barclays Center (NY) * The Long Island Ducks (NY)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://liducks.com/news/current/?article_id=1956 |title=Schedule: Long Island Ducks Baseball |quote=courtesy of P.C. Richard & Son}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://1495sports.com/2015/02/05/long-island-ducks-opening-night-giveaway-announced |quote=receive .. presented by P.C. Richard & son |title=Long Island Ducks Opening Night Giveaway Announced |date=February 5, 2015}}</ref> * iHeartRadio Theater (NY) (ground floor 250-seat theater at 32 Avenue of the Americas formerly known as P.C. Richard & Son Theater) <ref>{{cite web |url=https://tribecacitizen.com/2010/11/08/nosy-neighbor-p-c-richard-son-theater |title=Nosy Neighbor: P.C. Richard & Son Theater |date=November 8, 2010 |website=Tribeca Citizen |access-date=March 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190710072440/https://tribecacitizen.com/2010/11/08/nosy-neighbor-p-c-richard-son-theater |archive-date=July 10, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.qromag.com/reviews/venue_reviews/iheartradio_theater |title=iHeartRadio Theater |date=December 4, 2009 |website=QRO Magazine |access-date=March 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190911050808/http://www.qromag.com/reviews/venue_reviews/iheartradio_theater |archive-date=September 11, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> * New York Islanders (NY) * Brooklyn Nets (NY) * Music Conservatory of Westchester<ref>{{cite web |website=Music Conservatory |url=https://musicconservatory.org/a-perfect-performathon-2019 |quote=4th consecutive year of supporting |title=A Perfect Performathon 2019!|date=10 December 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.NYmetroparents.com/article/Music-Conservatory-of-Westchester-s-Performathon-Exceeds-Expectations-Raising-Funds-for-Scholarships-and-Digital-Piano-Lab |title=Music Conservatory of Westchester's Performathon |date=December 13, 2018}}</ref> * Nassau Coliseum (NY) * The Somerset Patriots (NJ) * Raceway Park (NJ) * Splish Splash Water Park (NY) * Sun National Bank Center (NJ) * UConn Athletics (CT) * Webster Bank Arena (CT) }}
==Thanksgiving== ''The New York Times'' wrote that "the chain's commercials emphasize people over products"<ref name=PCRichards.NYT2003/> and added that "some of their ads strike an earnest tone that evokes Norman Rockwell's America" and quoted a customer view about "what makes P.C. Richard tick." Part of this approach, according to what ''The New York Daily News'' printed, is being "a store that values employees enough to let them spend Thanksgiving with their families."<ref name="PCRichard.DailyNews2011">{{cite news |date=November 25, 2011 |title=Readers sound off on Black Friday, protest and cops |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/readers-sound-black-friday-protest-cops-article-1.982016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010203926/https://www.nydailynews.com/2011/11/25/readers-sound-off-on-black-friday-protest-and-cops/ |archive-date=October 10, 2023 |newspaper=The New York Daily News}}</ref> ''New York Newsday'' wrote about being "closed on Thanksgiving and opening at 4 a.m. on Black Friday."<ref>{{cite news |author=Morris |first=Keiko |date=November 14, 2012 |title=P.C. Richard & Son resists trend to open on Thanksgiving day |url=https://www.newsday.com/business/p-c-richard-son-resists-trend-to-open-on-thanksgiving-day-1.4223523 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201007155328/https://www.newsday.com/business/p-c-richard-son-resists-trend-to-open-on-thanksgiving-day-1.4223523 |archive-date=October 7, 2020 |newspaper=Newsday}}</ref>
Social networking supports being closed on Thanksgiving, said a 2014 ''New York Post'' opinion item.<ref>{{cite news |author=Gelinas |first=Nicole |author-link=Nicole Gelinas |date=November 23, 2014 |title=A social boycott: Networking to roll back Thanksgiving store hours |url=https://nypost.com/2014/11/23/a-social-boycott-networking-to-roll-back-thanksgiving-store-hours |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151214090134/http://nypost.com/2014/11/23/a-social-boycott-networking-to-roll-back-thanksgiving-store-hours/ |archive-date=December 14, 2015 |newspaper=New York Post}}</ref>
==Jingle== P.C. Richard & Son is known for its trademark whistle jingle created by Soundsmith worker Leer Leary. It plays after a pitcher strikes out an opposing batter at home games of three baseball teams: the New York Yankees, their Double-A affiliate, the Somerset Patriots, and an independent team, the Long Island Ducks.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== {{Citation style|date=January 2021|1=section}} * Smith, Jim H. "''Work Well Done''." Old Lyme: Greenwich Group, 2009. Print. * "Our History." Our History. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2016. <http://www.PCRichard.com/our-company/history>. * "WebCite Query Result." WebCite Query Result. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2016. <https://web.archive.org/web/20120229093236/http://www.pwc.com/en_US/us/private-company-services/assets/gyb-vol-61-beating-the-odds.pdf>. * "Family Matters In P.C. Richards' Growth." Tribunedigital-thecourant. N.p., 2010. Web. 23 May 2016. <[https://web.archive.org/web/20150311165015/http://articles.courant.com/2010-08-24/business/hc-haar-pc-richard-column-20100823_1_manchester-store-milton-rosenberg-circuit-city]>. * P.C. Richard Adds Mattress Departments. Twice. N.p., 2014. Web. 31 May 2016. <http://www.twice.com/news/retail/pc-richard-adds-mattress-departments/47258>.
==External links== {{Commons-inline}}
*{{Official website|https://www.pcrichard.com/}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:P.C. Richard and Son}} Category:Consumer electronics retailers of the United States Category:American companies established in 1909 Category:Retail companies established in 1909 Category:Companies based in Nassau County, New York Category:1909 establishments in New York City Category:Farmingdale, New York