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Alba was a British
Following the demise of the original company, the Alba name was bought in 1982 by Harvard International.
In 1987, Harvard International renamed itself Alba plc and was floated on the
Alba
at Argos.co.uk Electronics companies of the United Kingdom Electronics industry in London British brands
Alba was a British consumer electronics
Consumer electronics or home electronics are electronic ( analog or digital) equipment intended for everyday use, typically in private homes. Consumer electronics include devices used for entertainment, communications and recreation. Usuall ...
brand used for budget electronics.
Established in 1917, Alba acquired its rival Bush
Bush commonly refers to:
* Shrub, a small or medium woody plant
Bush, Bushes, or the bush may also refer to:
People
* Bush (surname), including any of several people with that name
**Bush family, a prominent American family that includes:
*** ...
in 1988, and was bought by the Home Retail Group
Home Retail Group plc was a home and general merchandise retailer based in the United Kingdom. It was the parent company of Argos and Habitat, and once owned the do it yourself chain Homebase before selling it to the Australian retailer Wesfarme ...
, the parent company of the retailer Argos
Argos most often refers to:
* Argos, Peloponnese, a city in Argolis, Greece
** Ancient Argos, the ancient city
* Argos (retailer), a catalogue retailer operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland
Argos or ARGOS may also refer to:
Businesses
...
in 2008, who in turn was taken over by J Sainsbury plc
J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, with a 14.6% share of UK supermarket sales.
Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company ...
in 2016. Products bearing the brand name were primarily sold at Argos, and to a lesser extent at Sainsbury's. The Alba brand was quietly dropped by Sainsbury's in 2022 and replaced by its more upmarket sister brand Bush
Bush commonly refers to:
* Shrub, a small or medium woody plant
Bush, Bushes, or the bush may also refer to:
People
* Bush (surname), including any of several people with that name
**Bush family, a prominent American family that includes:
*** ...
, which has a similar history.
History
Original A.J. Balcombe / Alba company
The name ''Alba'' originated as a trademark used on radio and television produced by A.J. Balcombe Ltd. The company was formed in 1917 or 1918 by Alfred Balcombe. Alba began by manufacturing radio sets from 1922. In the 1960s they became ''Alba Group'', and made only low-cost consumer products. Alba went intoreceivership
In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver—a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights"—especially in c ...
in June 1982. During that time, it was a significant contributor to the development of the British radio & TV industry.
Under Harvard International
Following the demise of the original company, the Alba name was bought in 1982 by Harvard International.
In 1987, Harvard International renamed itself Alba plc and was floated on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange in the City of London, England, United Kingdom. , the total market value of all companies trading on LSE was £3.9 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St P ...
under its new name. Alba plc bought Bush
Bush commonly refers to:
* Shrub, a small or medium woody plant
Bush, Bushes, or the bush may also refer to:
People
* Bush (surname), including any of several people with that name
**Bush family, a prominent American family that includes:
*** ...
in 1988, followed by Goodmans in 1994.
Alba also produced electronic products under licence for other companies or individuals, including Antony Worrall Thompson
Henry Antony Cardew Worrall Thompson (born 1 May 1951) is an English restaurateur and celebrity chef, television presenter and radio broadcaster.
Early life
Worrall Thompson was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. His parents, Michae ...
, Cable and Wireless, Carl Lewis
Frederick Carlton Lewis (born July 1, 1961) is an American former track and field athlete who won nine Olympic gold medals, one Olympic silver medal, and 10 World Championships medals, including eight gold. His career spanned from 1979 to 1996 ...
, JCB, Ministry of Sound, Nicky Clarke
Nicky Clarke (born 17 June 1958) is an English hair stylist and media personality. He initially became famous for styling the hair of various celebrities on several television shows, before earning fame in his own right.
Career
Clarke's inter ...
and NTL
NTL may refer to:
Companies
* NTL Incorporated and NTL Internet, later Virgin Media, communications media company
** NTL Ireland, later Virgin Media Ireland
* Arqiva, UK company formerly ''NTL Broadcast'' and ''National Transcommunications L ...
.
The company sold its share of the Grundig
Grundig (; ) is a German consumer electronics manufacturer owned by the Turkish Arçelik A.Ş., the white goods (major appliance) manufacturer of Turkish conglomerate Koç Holding. The company made domestic appliances and personal-care prod ...
brand for £25.5m in December 2007, although it retained the UK distribution rights until 2010.
Acquisition by Home Retail Group
In November 2008, the Alba andBush
Bush commonly refers to:
* Shrub, a small or medium woody plant
Bush, Bushes, or the bush may also refer to:
People
* Bush (surname), including any of several people with that name
**Bush family, a prominent American family that includes:
*** ...
names were purchased by Home Retail Group
Home Retail Group plc was a home and general merchandise retailer based in the United Kingdom. It was the parent company of Argos and Habitat, and once owned the do it yourself chain Homebase before selling it to the Australian retailer Wesfarme ...
, the parent company of Homebase
Homebase is a British home improvement retailer and garden centre with stores across the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Founded by Sainsbury's and GB-Inno-BM in 1979, the company was owned by Home Retail Group from October 2006, un ...
and Argos
Argos most often refers to:
* Argos, Peloponnese, a city in Argolis, Greece
** Ancient Argos, the ancient city
* Argos (retailer), a catalogue retailer operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland
Argos or ARGOS may also refer to:
Businesses
...
, for £15.25 million. As a result, Alba Group (the former owner) reverted to its previous name, Harvard International, the following year.
Purchase by Sainsbury's
In September 2016, the British supermarket chainSainsbury's
J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, with a 14.6% share of UK supermarket sales.
Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company ...
completed its acquisition of Home Retail Group, bringing Argos, along with the Alba and Bush brands, under its ownership.
The Alba brand was quietly dropped by Sainsbury's in 2022 and replaced by its more upmarket sister brand Bush
Bush commonly refers to:
* Shrub, a small or medium woody plant
Bush, Bushes, or the bush may also refer to:
People
* Bush (surname), including any of several people with that name
**Bush family, a prominent American family that includes:
*** ...
, which has a similar history.
References
External links
{{Commons category, Alba (electronics brand)Alba
at Argos.co.uk Electronics companies of the United Kingdom Electronics industry in London British brands