Back in 1977, P&R Electrical was formed by friends George Rhigas and George Pappas. Today it’s a South Australian powerhouse.

For some, electrical wholesale happened by accident; a chance conversation, a change of career, a business opportunity too good to turn down.

For others, it’s a destiny that has to be fulfilled.
John Rhigas and Nick Pappas, whose South Australia-based business, P&R Electrical, was founded by their fathers almost 50 years ago, most definitely fall into the latter category.

“Both of our dads migrated to Australia,” says John. “I was actually born in Ethiopia, and we came over in 1971. My dad had a background in pharmaceuticals and international trading back in Ethiopia, but when he came here, his qualifications weren’t worth anything – it’s that same old story.

“So we lived in a two-bedroom flat. Dad went and knocked on doors, tried to get jobs, delivered soft drinks and that sort of thing – and then eventually landed a job as a storeman for an electrical wholesaler.”

It was no surprise to anyone who knew him that George Rhigas quickly rose to Store Manager, and through working at the wholesaler, met George Pappas, who had left Greece as a teenager and travelled the world.

He lived and worked in Brazil and helped build the infrastructure there, then arrived in Adelaide and worked for Phillips before starting his own electrical contracting business.

A friendship emerged, and in 1977, P&R Electrical – Pappas and Rhigas – was born.

Redefining South Australian electrical wholesale

Naturally, when your parents are establishing a new business, it quickly becomes part of the everyday. And for John and Nick, P&R Electrical was as much a part of their formative years as anything else.

“They put us in a school that was practically within earshot of their office, so instead of picking us up to go home, they used to pick us up, come to the warehouse and work in the business, and it all went from there,” says John.

“Nick got his electrician’s licence and both of us started working full time in the business, doing deliveries, working in the stores, and then eventually, working in our regional stores.

A ‘long apprenticeship’ followed, where they worked administration roles through to positions in head office, before they were appointed as joint General Managers – and finally, when the succession plan was complete, joint Managing Directors in 1997.

Today, the business comprises 12 stores employing around 90 staff, as well as a thriving online arm too – with John and Nick still very hands-on and present in the business every day.

Innovation at the heart of P&R Electrical

The two Georges were innovative and pioneering in their approach to electrical wholesale – they were one of the first electrical wholesalers to open on a weekend, and offer a drive-thru service.

“Dad was a cracker in that area,” says John. “He was high on it. We had a completely integrated ERP system in the early 80s – we were completely automated by the mid-80s. And it was a massive investment back in those days.

“By the 90s, all of our orders were done electronically, so the business has always been at the pointy end in that respect – and it has paid dividends over the years, and that’s allowed us to streamline and compete against our much bigger and well-resourced multinational competitors.”

From the outset, the focus of P&R Electrical has been on the small-to-medium contractor, and while over the years that has expanded into commercial, industrial and government work, the core business is still the residential, small-to-medium contractor.

“Our stores and our service offering really has been developed over the years to best suit and service those types of customers,” says John, who attributes a large part of the business’s success to one thing: people.

“Keeping our people has probably been our biggest asset,” he explains. “We have a number of people that have passed 25 years of service – some 30, some 40 years – and a big chunk of our staff would be between that 10-15 years of service mark.”

“In our game, it’s about relationships with our customers, and keeping that stable workforce and keeping them happy and so forth, has paid dividends for us.”

Online pioneers

Another aspect of the business that’s paying dividends is online. It’ll come as no surprise, given the early digitisation of the business, that P&R were early online adopters, too. And back in the day when the phone line needed to be unplugged to connect the computer, and modems were audibly connecting to the World Wide Web, P&R had been leading the online charge. And today, ElectricalXPress is a key component of their business.

“We bought the electrical.com.au domain name right at the start, as we knew the value it would have, and in 2005, we launched an online store,” says John.

“We were way too early out of the gates – it’s only recently that the market’s really adopted this technology, and now the online store has truly established itself alongside the bricks and mortar. Online is our 13th store.

“Contractors like to come into the store – they like the relationships, but they also like the option to buy online and click and collect.”

In the earlier days of John and Nick’s reign, growth was a key focus – the business expanded into Victoria and NSW, however, after years of interstate travel, the pair decided to focus on the core South Australian business.

“When you’re young you know everything!” laughs John. “We were focused on growth, and we learned a lot – we were spending our days sitting on Boards and not necessarily involved in the day-to-day business. We had expanded to a national business, but we had young families and made a lifestyle choice to sell out of that and focus on the core business.”

And the P&R legacy story could have a third-generational story to tell…

Nick’s son has just finished his electrical apprenticeship, and one of John’s three sons is following in his father’s footsteps, packing boxes, and working Saturdays in the store.

After all, it’s in the blood.