About Us and Our History
Our History goes back a long way.
1960 - 1979
It all started on 1st of January 1960 when partners Fred Whant and Fred Kemp opened their first store in Mitcham. The name Graham Lee came from the names of both Fred’s eldest sons. Shortly after, Fred Whant took over the running of the carpet business and was joined by Graham Whant in 1972.
Four years later, the second shop located in Rosehill was opened and Fred’s second son, Martin joined.
1979 welcomed the opening of the Worcester Park shop. Still going strong, it is a one of the longest standing carpet shops on the high street and has a great reputation within the local community.
1987 - 2003
In 1987, Fred Whant retired and both Graham and Martin Whant took over. This saw the opening of the Cheam Village store – another location Graham Lee Carpets are still serving up.
2003 - Now
Fast forward to 2003, now owners Mark (left) and Greg (right) Whant joined the business, after helping their parents out on Saturday’s.
In 2018, Graham and Martin retired, handing over the keys to Mark and Greg. Now the main partners, they have continued the family legacy through to 2020.
Greg’s brother in law, Colin Hartburn joined in 2014 and works in the Worcester Park shop. And to top off the family tradition, Mark’s sister joined in 2017 and helps run the Ewell shop.
Our 60 year history is something we are extremely proud of and something we wish to keep going for many decades to come. Community is behind everything we do and we love getting to know more and more customers from the local area.
When it comes down to one single thing, continuing our hard earned and trustworthy reputation is what matters to us.
