A 92-year-old gentleman from Cheshire is thrilled to have received a brand-new television set, after writing to retailer Studio.co.uk about his broken remote control.

Mr Hawker, from Northwich, wrote to the head office of the online value retailer to enquire about getting a replacement remote control for his television, which he had bought from Studio’s previous brand, Express Gifts, a few years earlier.

Mr Hawker’s letter caught Studio employees’ attention as it was handwritten. Since moving away from its catalogue roots, Studio now very rarely receives anything via the post due to the vast majority of its customers having embraced the digital age.

As the TV had been purchased several years ago, the set was no longer stocked, therefore a replacement remote was impossible. The handwritten note got a lot of attention internally, so Studio thought it would be a nice touch to gift their customer with a brand-new set, complete with a working remote as requested.

Chris Chalmers, marketing director at Studio.co.uk, said: “It was lovely to see a handwritten letter come through the post – certainly not something you see every day, anymore! When we read Mr Hawker’s letter, we were touched by his politeness and wanted to help with his request. You often forget how far the world has come digitally and the pleasure you get from receiving a hand-written note.”

Mr Hawker said: “I was moved by Studio’s offer. It was a lovely gesture and made me feel valued by the company, which isn’t always the case! I love to watch CSI and this television will make sure I can keep watching it for a long time.”

In response to Mr Hawker’s letter, Studio.co.uk is also looking into how it can help elderly people in the north west become more digitally savvy. These plans will be confirmed later this year.

In 2018, Studio.co.uk embarked upon a rebrand and digital transformation, with over 95% of new orders now placed online.

Studio Retail, owned by Findel plc and trading under Studio.co.uk, is a leading online value retailer which stocks more than 63,000 products ranging from clothing and electrical to household and gifts. It offers free personalisation on 3,000 products.