Brown & Gold Pawnbrokers is owned by Chris Brown, a 6th generation Pawnbroker, with the first business in his family dating back to 1840.
This family business was sold in 2007, but with pawnbroking very much in Chris Brown’s blood, he decided to start up his own company in 2010. There are now 7 branches of Brown & Gold, with 3 of these in and around Leeds at Seacroft, Shipley and Batley. 3 others are in the North West around Liverpool and the remaining store in the North East at Redcar.
Chris prides himself on providing a service focussed on strong family values, with trust and integrity being at the core of the company’s ethos. This is a family business dealing with families, and some of their regular customers can remember being served by Chris’ grandfather in one of the original Leeds shops. The warm and friendly staff members at Brown & Gold are also part of this extended family with many of them having worked for the Browns for years and then following Chris in his new venture.
[private]Brown & Gold is not just a pawnbroker. They also buy gold, sell jewellery and now also offer foreign exchange, Western Union transfers and Buy Backs to ensure they are catering for the needs of all their customers. Buy backs offer loans on electrical items such as mobile phones, games consoles and tablets much in the same way that pawnbroking works.
The stores have a good selection of jewellery for sale and they cater for everyone. Chris says “all stores offer really good value jewellery as people expect to get a bargain when they buy from a pawnbroker.” This doesn’t mean however, that Brown & Gold only sell standard jewellery. They often commission unique and unusual items, and sell high value and estate jewellery. They recently sold a diamond bangle with 14 carats of near perfect princess cut diamonds for over £17000 and commissioned a bespoke 5 stone diamond ring which was valued at over £15,000. The company also regularly sell 2 carat diamonds all at a fraction of their new valuation.
Rolex and branded watches form a large part of their trade with some customers buying, selling and upgrading watches on a regular basis.
This wide range of jewellery and watches ensures there is always something for everyone at Brown & Gold, and they offer a lay away service over an interest free 6 month period to help customers spread the cost of their purchases. Valuations and watch/jewellery repairs are also available in store.
Gold buying is still a big part of the business. Chris explains “There was a real ‘gold rush’ when the price of gold rocketed during the credit crunch. Many people sold their jewellery at this time and pop up shops appeared on the high street to cater for this demand. These shops are no longer trading and the traditional pawnbrokers are providing this valuable service. Because Brown & Gold retail 2nd hand jewellery, they are able to pay people a bit more for the gold because it isn’t just getting melted down.”
More recently, many small businesses have used Brown & Gold for short term business loans. Chris tells me “Where else can you borrow £10,000 within 5 minutes to cover your bills for a month and only get charged around 4%? Many banks are not lending to small businesses and even if they do, the fees and time taken to complete the loan often make it an unattractive option.”
Pawnbroking will always be at the backbone of the business with the majority of customers using this service frequently. With a low interest rate Pawnbroking is a very quick and easy way of borrowing money with no credit checks. The cost of the loan is already covered by the item you have borrowed against so, unlike pay day loans and other similar options there is no danger of getting further and further into debt.
The team at Brown & Gold are welcoming and approachable, and always happy to discuss your needs. For top prices and immediate cash payouts, why not switch to this friendly pawnbrokers from the family who have been trusted by many for over 170 years?
All Loans subject to Terms & Conditions, Pawnbrokers Are Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
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