History

Roys was founded in 1895 when brothers Alfred and Arnold Roy opened their first general store at Coltishall, Norfolk. In 1899, a second store was opened 3 miles away at Wroxham to meet the needs of the holiday makers visiting the Norfolk Broads.

During the early years of the 1900’s, the business expanded and the present company, Roys (Wroxham) Limited was formed in 1931.
In addition to providing a wide range of goods in its stores, a fleet of delivery vans was used to supply customers living in rural Norfolk
with food and non-food products to order.

The increasing volumes of holiday traffic in the late 1920’s and early 1930's earned Wroxham it’s title of “Capital of the Broads” and helped Roy’s to win it’s accolade in a widely publicised competition as
“The World’s Largest Village Store” – a title that has yet to receive serious challenge.

Following the deaths of  Arnold and Alfred Roy in the early 1950’s, the business passed to Alfred’s children, Fred, Peter, Paul and Elizabeth.

Fred Roy was appointed Chairman and Managing Director and, following fact finding trips to Australia, Canada and North America, introduced self-service in the grocery department and the concept of an ‘Out-of-Town Shopping Centre’ at Wroxham.

The company continued to expand during the latter part of the 20th century and into the 21st century by extending and improving its shopping facilities at Wroxham as well as opening stores throughout Norfolk and Suffolk.

Following the death of Fred Roy on Christmas Eve 1994,at the age of 74, his brother Peter succeeded him as Chairman of the board.

Peter Roy served as Chairman until his death in January 2004 at the age of 78, but not before his two sons Edward and Paul, representing the third generation of the family, had joined the board of directors.

Roys to this day remains a family owned independent business and
is looking forward to meeting the exciting new challenges of the
21st century.

The company's commitment to offering excellent customer service and good quality products at low prices remains as it was in 1895 when Alfred and Arnold opened their first store.

The story continues……………..