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Back in 1996, England hosted the European Football Championship, the Spice Girls released their debut single Wannabe… and Union Street, Maidstone became the birthplace of our now long- established showroom.
England is still searching for that all important victory, and the Spice Girls have gone their separate ways – but Home Media has carried on across the 30 years that followed, a retail success story championing the values of both exceptional customer service and superb product quality.
The much-loved shop was originally called Unilet Sound and Vision when Simon Burton started work there. In 1999 the shop name was changed to Home Media, followed by a change of ownership by Simon and his business partner in 2002.
While the years have passed, Simon still has the same unwavering enthusiasm and positivity which has driven his career with customers at the heart of everything he does.
Looking back to the 1990s, he said: “One of most profound things, I think, is life was simpler then. People had more time for themselves and for one another, they had more patience, there was not the same sense of immediacy.”
“We really have two shops now, the bricks and mortar one and the website. With the website you are accessing a wider and wider reach, but it also means you are juggling more… but I have to say the technological advances have been fantastic.”
Simon said he believes Home Media epitomises the best of both worlds – the traditional and the modern.
“We have old-fashioned values of excellent customer care and good practice that is combined with all the advantages of new technology and innovation,” he said.
Like other High Streets across the country, the retail landscape of Union Street has changed significantly in the past 30 years. Simon said: “We used to have jewellers, food shops, clothes shops… a real mix of stores and there was more of a community spirit. Now it is more nail bars, barber shops and takeaways.”
The hi-fi marketplace has also changed over three decades. “In 1996, there were fewer turntables available. We did sell some, but they were more the budget line. We were also selling plentiful CD Players and cassette decks as well as FM radios. Home cinema accounted for half of our business but that changed when the fashion changed to minimalistic living and the desire to declutter our living rooms.”
“We’re seeing sound bars in average-sized lounges today, and it is the larger homes which have home cinema systems. The desire for a high-quality hi-fi system remains strong and we have a demand for high-quality turntables along with speakers and amplifiers.”
So how has Home Media continued to thrive when so many other businesses have fallen by the wayside? Simon said: “It is by always putting the business first, making sure it is fed and watered.”
Another crucial element to success is Home Media’s famous customer care and home demonstration service. The team offer a well-considered range of quality hi-fi and home cinema products including amplifiers, speakers, turntables, CD Players, music streamers, DACs, TVs and video projectors.
“The acoustics are always different in someone’s home,” Simon explained. “For example, Chris and I visited a customer in Suffolk recently and the room for the hi-fi equipment was 25 by 19 feet and had a hardened edge to the sound. We suggested that we should deal with the problematic room by introducing room acoustic treatment. We will not make changes to the hardware until this was resolved.”
Simon also advised a much-loved friend and customer recently who wanted to buy a new CD player. He thought he wanted one particular brand as a result of reviews in the hi-fi press he had read, but Simon was concerned it would not compliment his system. Knowing that there would be a future amplifier upgrade, Simon suggested listening to both the amplifier and CD Player from the customer’s preferred brand and comparing them to Simon’s recommendation. After a week of trialling the products at home, the gentleman agreed with Simon’s recommendation and has since purchased the CD Player, with the amplifier upgrade to follow.
“We try to look at the long term,” he said. “He loved what he had and now knows what else to look for going forward.”
It is this commitment to quality which has served Home Media so well.
Simon said: “The fulfilment of the relationships we have established with people means the world to us.
“We sometimes have to politely say no to customers if we don’t think a particular upgrade is in their best interest, but we always act with the best of intentions – and that builds trust. We have built up long-term relationships based on loyalty and trust because that is the way we do business.”
All of us at Home Media are thrilled to be marking 30 years in our Union Street store in summer 2026 – and look forward to celebrating with our friends, customers and suppliers. Watch this space, and follow us on social media, for events, updates and more!
Get in touch with one of our friendly experts at Home Media to talk hi-fi, music and more, by calling on 01622 676703 or emailing sales@homemedialimited.co.uk.
