Our History - John Doe of Diss

John Doe first opened his carpet business in February 1983 after 19 years as a carpet representative. John's wife Angela, who used to run a successful high street fashion shop in Diss, soon joined him and turned her clothing shop premises into the first John Doe retail outlet, situated on St Nicholas Street in Diss.
By 1993 John and Angela’s sons, Edward and Charles had decided to join the family business, closely followed by Charles’ wife Lisa who utilised her previous experience to head up the companies finances. By this time, John Doe of Diss had diversified by selling beds and furniture alongside the already successful flooring side of the business and premises had changed to a larger town centre shop and warehouse in Diss.

After expanding by opening branches in both Stowmarket and Harleston, John Doe of Diss had also outgrown their Diss premises yet again. In 2000, John Doe moved into multiple warehouses situated on Vinces Road, this gave the company an opportunity to offer their customers an even wider variety of products.
By 2008 the company was achieving significant year-on-year growth and the decision was made to design their own purpose-built showroom, measuring a huge 40,000 sq. ft. at Sawmills Road, Diss. The impressive new showroom was opened in April 2011

In 2015 John and Angela Doe decided to step down, leaving the business in the capable hands of Edward and Charles. Whilst John and Angela have been enjoying a happy retirement, there has been a 3rd generation of Doe’s joining the business and adding to the family's success – Charles and Lisa's eldest son Nathan joined the company in Summer 2014, closely followed by his younger sister Megan and in 2020 their younger brother Charlie joined the company as a Carpet Fitter. The business still continues to thrive despite the economic climate and has a large, growing customer base across the country.

In early 2018, work began on constructing a brand new 18,000 square foot Delivery and Distribution Hub on the same premises as their current showroom. This will allow the whole 40,000 square foot of their current showroom to be used as purely retail space, moving all logistic and warehouse activity across to the new hub.
2021 was a landmark year for the third generation as Nathan Doe, son of Lisa and Charles, was officially appointed Managing Director

2022 saw another major expansion with the addition of a brand new 5,000 ft2 mezzanine floor. This exciting expansion allowed John Doe to effectively double the size of their lighting and soft furnishing departments alongside launching their long planned in-house coffee lounge named after Angela Doe. Angela has been a prominent figurehead and leader within the company since they were founded in 1983, without whom we wouldn't be where we are today. Angela is wife to founder John Doe, mother to Directors Edward and Charles, and grandmother to Managing Director Nathan Doe. Angela's Coffee Lounge offers a diverse selection of specialty coffee, freshly baked pastries, homemade cakes and delicious lunches prepared with premium, local ingredients.

2023 marked a huge milestone for John Doe as they proudly celebrated their 40th anniversary! A year of celebrations was kick-started with a special evening for long standing customers, friends and staff old and new to celebrate their history and look forward to an exciting future! John Doe currently employ over 50 staff, who are all dedicated to providing expert advice and a personal service to all their customers. John Doe has built up an excellent reputation over the past 40 years and all of the staff take a tremendous pride in the company's standing.