Hatton Garden Pawnbrokers first opened its doors in April 1990. The directors of the holding company Pearlpex Group, manufacturing and antique jewellers saw a niche in the market where by customers coming to Hatton Garden to sell their goods, instead could pledge (pawn) these articles and redeem (buy back) at a later stage.
The image of the company from the start was that to be friendly and welcoming by making it look like a bank or building society and putting the potential customer at ease. A private room is at the customer's disposal if they should require more privacy.
From these ideals, many of their customers returned month after month and the business has turned very much into a family affair. The company deals with many customers overseas and welcomes any new contact from potential customers in Europe and the Far East.
The general manager, Stephen Pam, has been with the company from the outset and has helped in designing the layout of the unit as well as the documentation required for its smooth running. He has appeared on many advertisements, televisions and radio interviews, and numerous national newspaper articles promoting the company and pawnbroking in general.
Pawnbroking is only permitted by private companies in the United Kingdom, Eire and Sweden. In France, it is owned entirely by local government. We therefore see that the World Wide Web would increase our customer base.