An appliance repairman who unwittingly became an entrepreneur, Allan Hirsch and his wife Margaret started their family-run appliance business in a tiny showroom on Umhlanga Rocks Drive, Durban, in 1979 with just R900 that they had saved.

Today, Hirsch’s has grown into a chain of mega appliance and home furnishing stores in KZN, The Western Cape and Gauteng. Although it is a multi-billion rand company, their original concept of treating every customer as if they were the only customer still holds true.

Customer loyalty has made Hirsch’s the household name it is today. Margaret explains. “Keeping our customers happy and providing them with a unique, hands-on service has helped our business grow and we are continuously finding ways to improve our service to them.”