Thorn Electrical Industries

Thorn Electrical Industries Limited
Company type	Public limited company
Industry	Electrical engineering, Electronics, Consumer electronics
Founded	March 29, 1928; 98 years ago in United Kingdom
Founder	Sir Jules Thorn
Defunct	1998
Fate	Merged with EMI Group in 1979; demerged in 1996; acquired by Nomura Group in 1998; later owned by Terra Firma Capital Partners
Successor	Thorn EMI (after merger)
Headquarters	London, United Kingdom
Area served	United Kingdom, international
Key people	Sir Jules Thorn (founder and chairman)
Products	Lamps, lighting fixtures, radios, televisions, domestic appliances, electrical components
Number of employees	Approximately 2,400 (1948) (1948)

Thorn Electrical Industries Limited was a UK-based electrical engineering firm publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange. In 1979, it combined with EMI Group to create Thorn EMI, later separating in 1996 to become part of the FTSE 100 Index. Two years afterward, it was purchased by the Japanese Nomura Group. Presently, it is under the ownership of Terra Firma Capital Partners.

History

Sir Jules Thorn started his career in England as a travelling salesman for Olso, an Austrian company manufacturing gas mantles. Following Olso's collapse in 1926, Thorn founded the Electric Lamp Service Company, specializing in electrical and radio products, including lamps imported from Hungary. On 29 March 1928, The Electric Lamp Service Company Ltd was formally incorporated, acquiring the assets of its predecessor.

In 1928, Austrian engineer Alfred Deutsch joined to oversee production management. Thorn launched his first retail outlet in 1931 at Twickenham, offering radio rentals. By August 1932, he had secured a controlling stake in Chorlton Metal Co. Limited, Manchester-based traders of electric lamps and radios.

Atlas Lamp Works

Prior to 1933, the business concentrated on trading electric lamps and radio equipment. The purchase of Atlas Lamp Works in 1932 enabled Thorn to commence light bulb manufacturing at Edmonton, north London by late 1933. The company quickly grew into a leading international manufacturer of lamps, lighting fixtures, and components.

In October 1933, Jules Thorn co-established Lotus Radio (1933) Limited alongside L. M. Glancy from Chorlton Metal to produce radio receivers, acquiring assets from the original Lotus Company.

Going public

On 26 November 1936, the firm adopted the name Thorn Electrical Industries Limited and became a public limited company two days later. That same year, it fully acquired Chorlton Metal Co. Limited and Lotus Radio (1933) Limited as subsidiaries and purchased the freehold of Atlas Works, previously leased.

Jules Thorn assumed chairmanship of Ferguson Radio Corporation in 1936; Thorn handled distribution of their domestic radios. In 1946, Thorn acquired Ferguson outright. By 1947, a partnership was formed with Sylvania Electric Products to develop and produce fluorescent lamps.

By 1948, Thorn employed approximately 2,400 staff across factories located in Enfield (Ferguson), Edmonton, Hirwaun, Tottenham, and a new site under construction at Merthyr Tydfil. The group manufactured Atlas lamps and fluorescent fittings; Ferguson radios and televisions; as well as Mary Ann domestic appliances. Its subsidiaries included Ferguson Radio Corporation; Lamp Presscaps (lamp cap production); Domestic Electrical Rentals (radio and appliance rentals); British Electric Domestic Appliances (sales and servicing); plus an operation in South Africa. The acquisition of Tricity Cookers occurred in 1951.

Further expansion

In 1957, Thorn collaborated with Bendix Aviation Corporation to produce electrical components for guided missiles and supersonic aircraft within the UK. That year also saw Thorn arrange manufacturing of "His Master's Voice" (HMV) and Marconiphone radios and televisions through EMI while consolidating lighting operations under Atlas Lighting Limited. In April 1959, Thorn took over Philco’s UK business.

The company acquired Ultra Electronics in 1961.

To enhance its global competitiveness, Thorn combined its lighting businesses with Associated Electrical Industries (AEI) in 1964 to create British Lighting Industries. The following year, it purchased Glover and Main, a gas appliance manufacturer based in Edmonton. Television sets were produced both in Australia and Bradford, UK.

In June 1967, Thorn acquired Moffat's UK operations. Two months later it took control of Metal Industries, Limited, which specialized in electrical control and instrumentation brands such as Avo, Towler, and Fawcett. Some electrical divisions were merged with Bendix’s UK electronics through the joint venture Thorn Bendix. In November 1967, Thorn bought AEI’s 35% shareholding in British Lighting Industries. March 1968 saw the purchase of Keyswitch Relays.

By 1968, Thorn operated more than fifty major factories throughout the UK along with eight overseas sites within electrical and electronics industries. British Radio Corporation Limited led domestic manufacturing of televisions, radios, gramophones, and tape recorders marketed under Ferguson, Ultra, HMV, and Marconiphone brands.

British Lighting Industries held the largest market share for lighting products in the UK by 1968 and was the leading exporter under Mazda, Atlas, and Ekco brand names.

The domestic appliances segment controlled notable shares of electric and gas cooker markets with brands including Tricity, Main, and Moffat. It also produced refrigerators, gas fires, small electric devices plus industrial catering equipment via subsidiaries Benham & Sons and James Scott & Co.

Through a joint venture with AEI named Thorn-AEI Radio Valves and Tubes, Thorn ranked among the top two UK manufacturers of valves and tubes—including color television tubes—under Mazda and Brimar brands.

Acquisition of Radio Rentals

In 1968, Thorn expanded its Domestic Electrical Rentals (DER) division by purchasing Radio Rentals for £180 million, thereby becoming the largest television rental operator in Great Britain with a subscriber base of 2.6 million and a network of 1,300 outlets. That same year, Thorn also acquired Kenwood Manufacturing, a producer of household appliances.

During the 1960s, the American firm General Telephone and Electronics (GTE) secured a substantial shareholding in Thorn and collaborated by sharing technical knowledge related to colour television tubes through its subsidiary Sylvania Electric Products. However, GTE divested its stake in 1968 following Thorn's acquisition of Radio Rentals. In the subsequent decade, GTE and Thorn jointly ventured into the UK telephone equipment sector, a partnership later succeeded by Ericsson of Sweden, which ultimately acquired Thorn’s share.

Thorn's prominent brands included Rumbelows (consumer electronics retail), Thorn Kidde (fire safety solutions), and TMD (microwave technology).

Merger with EMI

In October 1979, Thorn combined operations with EMI Group, resulting in the formation of Thorn EMI.

On 16 August 1996, shareholders consented to a demerger that separated Thorn’s electronics and rental businesses into a standalone entity named Thorn plc.

After the demerger

In 1998, Future Rentals, affiliated with the Nomura Group, took ownership of Thorn. Subsequently, control transferred to Terra Firma Capital Partners, which developed the BrightHouse retail chain. The remaining segments of the company were sold to a private purchaser in June 2007.

In 2008, Thorn launched Big Brown Box in Australia as an e-commerce platform specializing in audiovisual equipment, consumer electronics, and household appliances. This business was acquired in 2011 by Appliances Online, part of the Winning Appliances group.