Shopping with Hughes
What Hughes is actually good at
Hughes started in 1921 and is still family-owned, with 19 stores and three service centres across East Anglia. The online shop is the same business, and it shows in the range: washing machines, fridge freezers, cookers, dishwashers and TVs, with small appliances and audio around the edges. I rate it for big white goods, because the services around the box are handled properly. You can add installation, have the old machine recycled, or pick up from a store for free, sometimes within an hour.
Delivery: cheap for small, dearer for big
At the time of writing (October 2026), small appliances cost £5.99 to deliver and go free over £70. Large appliances and TVs over 55 inches cost £19.99, free over £400. TVs under 55 inches are £5.99, also free over £400. Express adds £5 or £10 depending on size. Selected Scottish and Carlisle postcodes pay £15 on top, and it is mainland UK only, so no Northern Ireland, Channel Islands or most of the Highlands.
Someone aged 18 or over has to be in, and large appliances are delivered to the ground floor with no more than three steps. If you are in a flat up several flights, sort that out before you order.
The price match is the real hook
Hughes will match Currys, AO, Argos, Appliances Direct, Marks Electrical and Richer Sounds, and it counts delivery and installation in the comparison rather than only the sticker price. I like that. The exclusions are where it bites: student and NHS prices, marketplace sellers like Amazon and eBay, trade prices, consoles, computing, and Shark and Ninja products are all out. It has to be the identical model, in stock at the same time. If you have already bought and then find it cheaper, you can claim within seven days.
Rewards Plus: do the sums
Rewards Plus costs £19.99 a year and renews automatically. Members get lower prices on hundreds of products, free removal and recycling of an old appliance (worth up to £25), and 30 days of price-drop protection. If you are buying one big appliance and would otherwise pay to have the old one taken away, it more or less pays for itself. If you are buying a toaster, skip it, and put a reminder in your calendar if you do not want it renewing.
Returns: read this before you click buy
This is the weak spot. You get 14 days from delivery to send back something you do not want, in its original box and not used beyond what testing needs. You also pay the return cost. Hughes offers an insured collection for £25 on small items, £60 on large appliances and £150 on side-by-side fridge freezers and range cookers. Missing accessories such as remotes and leads are charged for, and anything installed cannot go back at all. Faulty goods are a different story: inside 30 days you can ask for an exchange or a full refund.