On the edge of the Norfolk Broads, where land meets a patchwork of waterways, sits the tiny villages of Wroxham and Hoverton.
Technically, Hoveton is the capital of the Broads, although many know it as Wroxham as that’s what the nearby train station is called.
But although the location by the Broads brings enough tourism, many people come here for a different and altogether more peculiar reason.
In Wroxham, there is a strange presence — a name that dances between the shops of this picturesque little English village: Roys.
As someone not from the area, walking through the village you soon realise the place is dominated by shops called Roys. There’s Roys Department Store. Roys Food Hall. Roys Toys. Roys Pharmacy. Roys Florist. Roys Garden Centre. Roys DIY Centre. There’s even Roys Fuel, a little petrol station on the way in, and Roys Medium Stay Car Park with Roys Electric Charging.
The group sells more than 70,000 products, including their own Roys-branded clothing line, making a yearly turnover of £56million.
But for many of the village’s visitors, the classic question is, ‘Who in the world is Roy and why is everything named after him?’
Just last week, Northern Irish tourist Gareth Clarke was left baffled and unnerved after discovering this sea of Roys shops in Wroxham.
In a video uploaded to TikTok, Gareth was left questioning whether he had ‘walked into a cult,’ as he exclaimed: ‘Where the f*** are we? All of the shops are named after Roy. Who is Roy – and why does he own everything?’
Today, the Daily Mail can reveal the local secret that Roy is not a person but a family that’s been serving the people of Norfolk for 130 years.
Roys shops dominate the quaint village of Wroxham, known as the capital of the Norfolk Broads
There is a slew of shops named Roys after the Roy family that has run local businesses for 130 years
There is even a toy shop (pictured) that the owner said he was tempted to call Roys R Us
Roys has been running for well over a century. These are some of the vans and horses and carts used to transport Roys bakery products
Roys has multiple stores across Norfolk and Suffolk, and is named after the surname of its founders, Arnold and Alfred Roy, rather than someone with the Christian name of Roy.
There were even more Roys shops in the past, including Miss Roys, a female fashion shop.
This week, Paul Roy, 54, one of two Roy brothers running the group, told the Daily Mail that what ties these shops together is a shared desire to run this local business in a traditional, customer-first way.
You won’t find any robotic self-checkouts at Roys, and the prices are incredibly fair. Local produce takes precedence and staff often stay for decades working for this truly British company.
Mr Roy told the Daily Mail: ‘We are about being invested in our community. We do things the old-fashioned way. It’s hard work.
‘As a family, the tradition was to work in the local trades. We have over 100 local suppliers.
‘It’s not like there aren’t other retailers around. We have competition everywhere.
NHS workers Kim, 65, (left) and her daughter Laura, 40, are both fans of Roys
Car saleswoman Victoria Walters, 42, (pictured) has been coming to Roys for almost a decade
Debbie, 61, (pictured with her partner Philip, 64) said her father made up a story about Roys that she still remembers to this day
Roys Garden Centre owns 18 acres of land and grows around one million plants every year
The group also has a Do It Yourself centre for budding homeowners to satisfy their building needs
Roys has a well-stocked pharmacy in the centre of Wroxham as well. Roys is sometimes known as Roys of Wroxham
At one entrance to the village, a Roys of Wroxham petrol station stands guard
Wroxham and Hoveton are a pair of stunning villages on the edge of the Norfolk Broads
Every year, tourists flock to the area to enjoy the stunning landscapes and wildlife
‘This year it’s 130 years of serving these people. It’s fantastic that we have that. We are standing on the shoulders of our forefathers.
‘It’s a family business, so it’s a family feel that we try to encourage in our staff.
‘We try to do things about the local involvement. People have that fondness for what we do.’
Mr Roy, a traditional Norfolk man with self-deprecating humour and a streak of genuine selflessness, admitted he was tempted by calling his toy shop Roys R Us, but thought the legal ramifications might prove a little too difficult.
Speaking about the viral TikTok that has brought attention to Roys around the world, he added: ‘I was hugely amused and humbled by it. It’s amazing that they found it and thought, “What the heck!?”
‘”Who is Roy?” is the most popular question. It’s a family, not just a guy.’
More than Roy just being a well-run local family business, it holds a deeper connection for many of its customers.
Car saleswoman Victoria Walters, 42, has been coming to Roys for almost a decade.
Roys takes pride in selling a large variety of local produce to support farmers and the community
To celebrate 130 years this year of serving the people, branded merchandise like this teddy is on sale
Shoppers can also get their hands on a selection of Roys-branded mugs for yachts
There are even T-shirts with the name Roys printed on them and the phrase, ‘the largest village store in the world’
She said: ‘I love it. It’s really nice to be served by a person. They do move forward, but there’s a nice, feel-good, traditional vibe.
‘I like seeing somewhere that feels a bit more like when I was growing up.’
Meanwhile, mother-of-two midwife Laura, 40, said: ‘We come here two to three times a week. It’s convenient and it has great products.
‘We even have Roys T-shirts now. A lot of tourists come now as well. You will hear a lot of different accents.’
Laura’s mother, Kim, a 65-year-old NHS ward clerk, said: ‘My husband, when he was in college, worked here, just for some extra money.
‘We knew they were a family [rather than just a person].’
Roys has even become so engrained in the local community that it relates to people’s memories from childhood.
Local woman Debbie, 61, was out for a bit of evening shopping with her husband Philip, 64, when she spoke to the Daily Mail.
She said: ‘It’s a nice shop. When I was a little girl, driving through Wroxham, my Dad’s name was Roy and I asked, “Dad, why is it all called Roy?”
‘He said, “I own them all,” and I believed him.’
Pictured: Roys of Wroxham in 1908, just a mere 13 years into the company’s existence
As shown by old photographs of the shop, quality and service have always been key parts of the business
This is what the entrance to Roys Food Hall looked like in around the 1930s
This is the first ever Roys of Wroxham store, pictured here in 1899, an amazing 126 years ago
Roys popularity has continued over the years, including here in the 1960s
Pictured: A Roys worker delivers flour to the Roys bakery on a horse and cart
The Roys website reads: ‘Wroxham is known as the “Capital of the Norfolk broads” and is a great family day out where you can take a walk along the river, watch the boats go by and feed the ducks.
‘The rich farmland across Norfolk and Suffolk is also home to a great number of excellent food and drink producers and Roys is proud to stock over 1,000 local products from over 100 local suppliers.
‘Roys knows that it owes its success to the ongoing support of its customers in the local community and regularly gives back by supporting local charities and good causes.’
Today, the company is owned entirely by the Roy family and Alfred’s grandchildren, Ed and Paul Roy, who serve as directors of the company.
There are currently 12 Roys stores around the country, including five major ones in Wroxham.
And from the look of their booming business in the midst of Britain’s largely gloomy retail outlook, Roys will likely continue to serve this community for many years to come.
