John G Nichols – Chief Executive of H&T Group & award recipient says; “I am very humbled to receive this award given the past luminaries who have received the accolade. John Milton, last year’s recipient, was a wise sage in my earlier days as President. I would like to sincerely thank you for this award.”
John’s award is the result of decades of work to bring the pawnbroking industry to where it is today. After an early career in the RAF, John entered the leisure industry with the Rank Organisation. He held a number of senior executive positions before joining Cash America - the then owners of Harvey and Thompson - in 1997 as Managing Director. He successfully grew the business from 37 stores to 59 stores, but felt more opportunity and improvements were available and achievable for the business.
In 2004, John worked closely with Rutland Partners, who bought out H&T after Cash America wanted to exit the UK market. He coordinated and implemented a re-invigorated growth strategy and within just 18 months had secured H&T Group’s place on the AIM Stock Market – a testament to the potential he saw right from the beginning of his tenure. As Chief Executive of H&T Group, he has pushed the business further than ever before, ensuring that we can offer a range of services to our customers all over the UK, both in-store and online.
Thanks to John’s excellent work at the helm, H&T now have nearly 200 stores located across the UK. The business itself and the wider pawnbroking industry has been invigorated and improved thanks to John’s hard work with both H&T Group and his involvement with the NPA (National Pawnbrokers Association). As well as his professional achievements at H&T, John was the 20th President of the NPA from 2004 to 2009.
Ray Perry, NPA CEO says; “Over the time I have known John, he has been a great supporter of NPA, and has helped us to help the industry. His knowledge of the pawnbroking industry over the years is exemplary.”
Stephen Dexter, NPA President says; “We are delighted to give this prestigious Award to John in recognition of his support to NPA, and to the wider industry over his professional lifetime to date.”
What is the NPA?
The National Pawnbrokers Association was established in 1892 and helps members get the most from their businesses. Both large commercial chains and independent pawnbrokers are involved in the running of the association, which enables businesses to grow and develop within the industry whilst also being complaint with all laws, rules and procedures. This ensures customers and other businesses are protected from fraud and bad practice, which is a very important aspect of offering any financial service.
Fourteen council members, all of whom are active pawnbrokers covering a range of active pawnbroking companies, run the associated. They are democratically elected and help to support the industry as a whole using their collective knowledge and experience. All necessary action is taken to maintain high standards, which makes the NPA a highly important support resource for its 1200+ members, all of whom are bound to follow a strict code of conduct.
When choosing a pawnbroker, you should always ensure they have full NPA membership, as this means they have pledged to follow proper procedures, and are responsible in their dealings with customers.
Here at H&T we are very proud of John’s award and his excellent history in supporting both the H&T Group and the wider pawnbroking industry. Congratulations!
When you use any H&T services both in-store and online, you can be confident in our ability to provide an industry-leading service, where your rights are protected from beginning to end. For more information about the NPA and what they do, click here. If you have any questions, or would like more information about H&T products and services, we welcome you to contact us.
