Viral TikTok video drives surge in Roys interest.
The head of a family chain of village stores has stated that a viral film with 2.8 million views has drawn the attention of a “new generation of people” from as far away as Canada and Croatia.
Gareth Clarke, a content developer, posted a TikTok video in which he expressed his surprise at the number of Roys shops in a tourist attraction on the Norfolk Broads.
Roys of Wroxham consists of a department store, toy shop, garden centre, DIY shop, food hall, fast food restaurant, and car parks along the little village’s main road.
“The way Gareth put it together was just art – we thought it was brilliant,” the company’s Paul Roy stated.
“We’re quite grateful, and we appreciate him for everything he’s done to get us out of the region, which we’ve been trying to do for 130 years.
“It reached way beyond what we might have expected – we have seen an uptick in business off the back of it.” Mr Clarke will meet Roys customers in-store on October 12th, following the success of the video.
Mr Clarke, also known as garfunklez on TikTok, makes light of Roys’ takeover, with the shops located in Hoveton rather than nearby Wroxham.
The 29-year-old, who lives in London and works as a motion designer, discovered the village with his buddy Mel when visiting Norfolk for a wedding.
He says in the film, “All of the shops are named after Roy, and we’re very confused.” “Why is everything in this village called Roys?”
Gareth Clarke
Robby West/BBCRoys was founded in 1895 by brothers Alfred and Arnold Roy, who took over a small store in nearby Coltishall.
During the 1920s and 1930s, Wroxham became renowned as the Broads capital due to the enormous number of holidaymakers who visited the area, and Roys won a competition to become the world’s largest village store, a reputation that still exists locally today.
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