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CeX (retailer)

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C.E.X. Limited
CeX
FormerlyCalibre Analysis Limited (May–August 1996)[1]
Company typePrivate
IndustryRetail
Founded1992; 32 years ago (1992) in Tottenham Court Road, London, United Kingdom
Founders
HeadquartersWatford, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
Number of locations
622 (2023)
Key people
  • David Mullins (Chairman)
  • David Butler (Managing Director)
Products
Websitewebuy.com

C.E.X. Limited, trading as CeX (/sɛks/), is a British retailer predominately dealing in pre-owned video games, DVDs, Blu-rays and consumer electronics, established in 1992 in London as the Computer Exchange. The retailer later renamed itself as the Complete Entertainment Exchange.[3]

As of January 2024, there are 390 stores in the UK, and a further 230 internationally, with a number of its locations being franchises.[4][5]

History

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A CeX shop in Brighton
CeX, King Street, Hammersmith, London
Interior of a larger branch on The Headrow, Leeds.

CeX was started by Paul Farrington,[6] Robert Dudani,[7] Hugh Man,[8] Charlie Brooker,[9][10] Oli Smith and Oliver Ball. The first shop opened on London's Whitfield Street, close to Tottenham Court Road in 1992.[3] As a second hand retailer, CeX trades with customers offering either cash or a voucher for redemption in any CeX shop.[11] CeX offer a 5 year warranty subject to terms on all of the second hand products the company sells.[12]

The "CeX" name moved away from "Computer eXchange" into an acronym for "Complete Entertainment eXchange",[3] and company letterheads state "CeX LTD is trading as CeX Entertainment Exchange". In 2005, CeX began issuing licences for franchising.[13]

Dudani appeared on the British Channel 4 TV show The Secret Millionaire.[14][15][16] This was after the business was affected by the 2011 England riots.[17]

In December 2013, CeX began Designer Exchange buying luxury leather goods, jewellery and handbags, with stores in Kensington, Chelsea, Knightsbridge, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Madrid.[8]

The pronunciation of the chain's acronym name was confirmed as "sex" in British commercials aired in February 2017.[18]

In November 2017, CeX launched a technology repair service called Tech Centre[19] (formerly called CeX Clinic) in the UK. The service covers the repair of video game consoles. Tech Center offers a 2-year warranty on device repairs and a no fix, no fee promise to customers.

The CeX logo was designed by Charlie Brooker.[20]


CeX are also know for being one of the worst stores on the high street. Notorious for selling Damaged and stolen goods. The employees don't understand the common things (e.g what a region code is and what a bootleg is) and each store sets it's own rules. CeX staff are rude and dumb.

Locations

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Country Shops
United Kingdom[21] 390
Spain (mainland) 65
Republic of Ireland 40
Mexico 31
Australia 31
Portugal 30
India 17
Netherlands 11
Poland 11
Malaysia 5
Italy 6
Canary Islands (Spain) 8
France 1
Belgium 1

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "C.E.X. LIMITED overview". Companies House. 3 May 1996. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  2. ^ "CeX (UK) : About CeX". uk.webuy.com.
  3. ^ a b c "About CeX".
  4. ^ Pelley, Rich (26 January 2024). "The joy of CeX: how to spend £10 in the secondhand gaming mega store". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  5. ^ "Start a CeX Franchise". What Franchise. 6 February 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  6. ^ "About Paul Farrington". uk.webuy.com (CeX) obituary. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  7. ^ "The entrepreneurs". The Guardian. 11 April 1999. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  8. ^ a b "How Hugh Man helped CeX achieve roaring trade across the globe". elitefranchisemagazine.co.uk. 7 February 2018.
  9. ^ Ellison, Cara (16 July 2013). "Gaming Made Me - Charlie Brooker". Rock Paper Shot Gun.
  10. ^ "CeX (UK) : About CeX". uk.webuy.com. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  11. ^ "What payment options do CeX offer for store orders?". webuy.com. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  12. ^ "CeX (UK) : Contact CeX". uk.webuy.com.
  13. ^ "CeX Franchise review". www.whichfranchise.com. Archived 8 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ "Is New Addington really a "benighted ghetto"? - Eastlondonlines". 10 September 2012.
  15. ^ "The Secret Millionaire - S10 - Episode 5: Bobby Dudani". Radio Times.
  16. ^ "Secret Millionaire yob out of job after six weeks". Your Local Guardian. 13 June 2012.
  17. ^ "Secret Millionaire: CeX's Bobby Dudani goes undercover in Croydon". Archived from the original on 4 April 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  18. ^ "CeX Lovers Make Good Choices". YouTube. February 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  19. ^ "Tech Center - Games Console Repairs". Tech Centre.
  20. ^ "Charlie Brooker - On Technology, Truth and Black Mirror". YouTube.
  21. ^ "CeX (UK) : Franchising". uk.webuy.com.
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