Saviour of Liverpool retailer TJ Hughes, Anil Juneja, pockets more than half a million pounds in dividends as his separate Liverpool-based wholesale venture sees profits more than double to £1.55m. Tony McDonough reports
A Liverpool homewares wholesaler owned by the man who rescued iconic Liverpool retailer TJ Hughes has seen its annual pre-tax profits more than double to £1.55m.
Anil Juneja, majority shareholder of Benross Marketing, will pocket more than half a million pounds in dividends according to accounts for the 12 months to January 31, 2026, posted on Companies House.
In 2011, Anil was credited with saving TJ Hughes when it collapsed into administration. At that point it was a national chain trading from 57 locations.
He swooped in to prevent the famous name disappearing for good. He relaunched the business from just six outlets. He has since grown this to 16, opening two new stores in 2024. They stretch from Scotland down to Maidstone in the South East of England.
In 2023, TJs relocated its flagship Liverpool store from London Road, where it had operated for more than a century, into the 70,000 former H&M store in Church Street in the heart of the city’s retail district.
Benross, which operates from a 25,000 sq ft showroom and 500,000 sq ft distribution facility in south Liverpool and employs around 60 people, imports consumer goods including homewares and electrical appliances and supplies them to retailers including TJ Hughes.
According to the accounts, sales were up during the period almost 8% to £29.2m while pre-tax profits soared to £1.55m from £600,000 in the previous year. Net assets increased by £600,000 to £14.7m.
Most of Benross’s sales currently come from the UK market (£27.4m) thanks to licensing agreements and major contract wins with well-known household retail names. But the business is also steadily growing its international footprint.
European revenues totalled £1.5m, boosted by the success of a licensing agreement with power tool specialist Black & Decker, and its revenues in overseas markets further afield tripled to £300,000.
Writing in the report, Anil said: “The business has delivered meaningful revenue growth and a significant improvement in profitability, demonstrating the resilience of the Benross model and the continued success of strategic initiatives in recent years.”
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He added: “The company enters the new financial year in a strong position, with growing revenues, improved profitability, a strengthened balance sheet and reduced financial indebtedness.
“The board is cautiously optimistic about the outlook, while remaining alert to the macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainties that continue to affect the business environment.”