VISITORS to a small rural village have been left baffled by the number of shops called Roys, believing they’ve “walked into a cult”.
A TikTok video shot in Hoveton, Norfolk, went viral last week, with creator Gareth Clarke asking who exactly is Roy, before joking he may also “become” him.
Roys Food Hall in Hoveton, Norfolk, includes a McDonald’s[/caption]
TikTok creator Gareth Clarke thought he’d entered a cult when he visited the village[/caption]
There’s at least five different shops named after the Roys brand[/caption]
Gareth, 29, from London, was staying in the village with his friend Mel as he attended a wedding – and compared it to 2007 Simon Pegg comedy Hot Fuzz, in which residents are tightly controlled to keep everything perfect.
He told The Sun: “It was like walking in to Hot Fuzz, this small town atmosphere but it was so unsettling how everything just had the same name.
“It was something we’d never experienced, either of us.
“It was literally like we’d walked in to a cult, massively.”
It turns out the local department store, Roys of Wroxham, which dates back to the 19th century, has simply spread its brand.
The Sun decided to head down to the Norfolk Broads community to find out more.
Hoveton has a population of just 2,000 people – and is home to the original Roy’s store, as well as a food hall, toy shop, garden centre and DIY shop all owned by the same empire.
There are also two Roy’s car parks and less than a mile away in Wroxham itself, the chain owns a petrol station.
The Roys empire first began in 1895 when it was started by two brothers and has slowly dominated the village.
Local mum Eve, who was walking down the high street, said she agreed with the cult-like description of the chain.
She said: “People who aren’t from around here think it’s weird. I like the shops, it’s quirky.”
Gary Johnson, 52, is a shop assistant at Angling Direct – a fishing outlet which is across from Roy’s Food Hall on one side and Roys Toys on the other.
He said: “I’ve got to be careful, because the building we work in is owned by Roy’s, so I can’t really give a bad comment for it, I’m afraid.
“In general, they’re a nice family business that’s well-run.
“When I go and visit the stores the staff are friendly and everything.
“As for how big they are – it’s just a growing company, isn’t it?”
Wendy Timewell, 66, purchased the local hotel, The Wroxham, 10 years ago.
The hotelier said she was a “great big advocate of Roys”, where she has shopped since she was a young girl.
In the department store there is also merchandise[/caption]
In nearby Wroxham, Roys even owns the petrol station[/caption]
Dianne and Derek who have shopped at Roys department store for years[/caption]
The hotel buys some of its supplies, such as bread for its morning breakfasts, fruit, cleaning products, and alcohol, from the shop.
She said: “People come here, they stay at the hotel just so they can do their Christmas shopping there.
“They come back year after year just so they can go to Roys. I don’t know what we would do without them.
“They are the centre, the mainstay of the village. We’re so lucky to have such an incredible shop, they sell everything.
“Almost everything you want to buy, you can get from Roys.
“They’re an amazing asset, we’re very lucky – you can go to buy a pork chop, gardening equipment, Emma Bridgewater [pottery], anything.
“We probably use Roys every single day.”
He went on to say: “It’s a fabulous shop, because it’s small, cosy, and family-orientated, you get to know the staff and they get to know you.
“It’s like a massive village shop.”
According to the company, Roys, which is celebrating its 130th year in business, was founded by brothers Alfred and Arnold Roy after a village store in the neighbouring village of Coltishall became vacant.
Roys of Wroxham started in the 1800s and has taken over[/caption]
The iconic department store is where it all started[/caption]
There are two Roys car parks in the village[/caption]
Four years later, in 1899, its first store was opened in nearby Hoveton.
The business, still family-owned, is now headed by Edward Martin Roy and Paul Roy.
In his viral video, Gareth he says “we’re very confused” as foreboding music plays and he shows shots of the different Roys shops.
“Why is everything here called Roys?”
Friend Mel can be heard saying: “It’s all Roys… Roys Toys, Roys McDonald’s, Roys department store.”
Gareth says: “Who is Roy? Why does he own everything? Do you wanna go to Roys or do you wanna go to Roys?”
Mel shouts: “Let’s go to Roys!”
They then visit the two medium stay car parks before spotting Roys Bakery-branded bread at the local supermarket.
Another shot shows a handwriting on a parking board saying: “Roys loading bay.”
In the department store they explore the “Roys merch”, including mugs, Teddy bears, tea towels, a puzzle, coasters and T-shirts.
The garden centre is even owned by Roys[/caption]
This year is the 130th anniversary since Roys launched[/caption]
A Roys branded mug in the department store[/caption]
The pair then went to the food hall and were surprised to find bottles of water for 34p.
Gareth said: “We’re still dealing in pence.”
A shop worker can then be heard telling him: “Roy is the family, so it’s not a gent called Roy.”
Gareth responded: “It’s multiple Roys.”
The video finishes with Gareth walking away with his Roys carrier bag.
In the TikTok post caption, he wrote: “I fear we stumbled upon something greater than ourselves, and if we stay longer we too would become Roy.”
In the comments, one person wrote: “Roystown for the first time with no context is an experience.”
Another added: “I don’t mean any disrespect but knowing this exists has deeply unsettled me and I have no idea why.”
A third quoted the Hot Fuzz film, saying: “It’s all for the greater good.”
A fourth said: “The funniest part is that Roys of Wroxham is not in Wroxham, it’s actually in Hoveton.”
Another person said: “There’s a road around there somewhere named after my grandma for all the work she did on a planning committee, trying to stop Roys from taking over everything.
“She lost, clearly, but she got a road.”
Roys was contacted for comment.
The village looks very normal on first glance[/caption]
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in film Hot Fuzz[/caption]
