Expansion
Gradually, after 1966, Green’s firm expanded into other parts of the building as they became vacant until, by 1973, the firm owned the entire freehold and was established as a pioneer of huge furniture and carpet showrooms with hundreds of rolls of broadloom carpet and vinyl, dozens of three piece suites, scores of beds, range after range of bedroom and dining room furniture and many pieces of occasional furniture. Later a special shop for curtains and dress fabrics was opened in the High Street.
The whole building covered 20,000 square feet. The hall of 5,000 square feet taken over in 1966 would be used exclusively as a carpet showroom whilst the remaining 15,000 square feet would be used to display a huge collection of furniture in addition to a warehouse and workrooms.
Besides offering a huge selection Peter Green was unusual in that he offered a complete service as well as keen prices. He could afford to give both owing to his low overheads as he owned the freehold and so avoided the high rents which had to be paid by similar stores and passed on to the customer.
From the very start Peter Green was fully involved in the life of the town and did a great deal of charitable work, especially amongst the elderly and disabled and those down on their luck. It was hardly surprising in view of all his achievements that Peter was made the first and so far only non-political Freeman of the Borough for his contribution to the business and the charitable life of the community.
In the mid 1970s Peter decided to improve his premises by stages. He began by planning a well designed showroom on the corner facing the town centre. Planning permission for this was granted in 1976 and building was about to commence when the town centre plan was introduced which stopped him from building.
Peter Green was fond of Eastleigh. He saw it as a friendly red-brick town of character. He had created the largest non-food retail enterprise and was keen to see other durable stores come. He was also keen to see Eastleigh preserve its character and remain different from other towns. He had always advanced cautiously without borrowing huge sums and argued that the town should grow in the same way.
When Peter Green died suddenly in 1980 his wife Norah became company chairman and Tim Maguire who joined the firm in 1972 became managing director.
The company came through the recession which followed and by 1982 turnover had increased by a third, a sure sign that customers still liked the selection and trading methods at the company’s unique showrooms. Many changes were made; fitted kitchens and fitted bedrooms became big business and there was a thriving contract department which eventually served customers as far away as the Falkland Islands and Gambia.
From small beginnings Peter Green had become one of the largest independent household furnishers in the South of England. Turnover has risen 40 times since the move to Southampton Road but the old fashioned friendly service had remained unaltered.
