Gary Grant

The Entertainer

Gary joined New Hope as a Patron in 2019 and has a great passion for supporting local charities, making a difference in the community and those involved in social action. Gary is the Founder and Executive Chairman of The Entertainer, a chain of toy stores founded in 1981 with his wife Catherine Grant. Today, it continues to be a privately-owned company and is renowned for being the largest independent toy retailer in the UK with over 160 stores.   The company is 49th in The Times Top 100 Best Companies to work for in 2019.

Gary runs a highly successful business, where both values & ethics always come first; The Entertainer stores have a Sunday closing policy, meaning staff always have this day to spend with family and friends. Gary believes business can be a force for good and looks at ways to inspire generosity. The Entertainer tithes 10% of its net annual profit to charity each year; in addition, The Entertainer is an active member of the Pennies scheme, the digital upgrade of the traditional charity box which enables customers to donate a few pence to charity at the point of sale when paying by card. On average, this generates £5,000 of customer donations to Children’s hospitals each week.  Over 50% of The Entertainer staff are engaged in the company’s Payroll Giving.

Gary has always been impressed by the small beginnings, vision of Janet Hosier and the impact New Hope has had on so many lives over more than 20 years.