H.H. Gregg Opens New Retail Electronics Store In Township

Resurrected electronics and home appliance retailer H.H. Gregg took over a corner of Cedar Grove Plaza on Sept. 5 to throw a party for the grand opening of its new retail store.

This is the company’s first brick-and-mortar incarnation since the midwest-based retail chain closed its doors several years ago.

But thanks to a successful bidding war by Somerset-based Valor Group to win the branding, the name lives on.

Eli Sapharti, Valor’s director of retail operations, said the new store is a result of the company’s belief that consumers like to handle things before they buy them.

“We felt that we needed to come back into the brick and mortar retail space to let people come and handle the goods,” he said. “The deals online now are great, but people want to see and touch the things.”

H.H. Gregg will carry a full line of electronics, including cameras, laptops and tablets, drones and electronic accessories, as well as household appliances such as blenders and food processors.

“Apple, Sony, Panasonic, Fuji, JBL, you name it, we carry it,” Sapharti said.

The store is on the small side, located in the space formerly occupied by Benjamin Moore, but that’s part of Valor’s plan, Sapharti said.

“What sets us apart from retailers, number one, this isn’t a huge outlet,” he said “When H.H. Gregg first started, their stores were enormous. I think that was their downfall.”

“This is a more personalized space where you can learn one-on-one,” he said. “We have experts in the consumer electronics field, if you want to compare one item to another or one brand to another. It’s a personalized smaller space that you won’t feel overwhelmed in.”

The retail store is backed up by warehouse space purchased by Valor in teh former Garden State Exhibition Center off Atrium Drive.

Between the two locations, H.H. Gregg will employ about 130 people, something that Mayor Phil Kramer said he likes to hear.

“In this world of online purchasing, you lose a lot,” Kramer told the crowd gathered for the ribbon-cutting party. “You lose the ability to touch the object, sometimes you order something, and you don’t even know how big it is. Being here and being able to see it and to talk to someone as opposed to an online chat, this is the kind of thing where you get service.”

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