Thomson SA

1982: Thomson SA and its expansion

In 1982, both Thomson-Brandt and Thomson-CSF were nationalized due to the efforts of François Mitterrand. Thomson-Brandt was subsequently renamed Thomson SA (Société Anonyme), and soon thereafter merged with Thomson-CSF. The Thomson Group was created, comprising Thomson-CSF, which focused on radio and broadcasting equipment and later electronics for defense and aerospace, and Thomson Multimedia which focused on consumer electronics. In 1988, two years after General Electric acquired the RCA Corporation, GE sold its consumer electronics division to Thomson, in exchange for some of Thomson's medical businesses. Thomson Consumer Electronics was formed to market products under the GE and RCA brand names. In 1995, the French government split the consumer electronics from the defense businesses of Thomson Multimedia and Thomson-CSF prior to privatization in 1999. Following privatization, Thomson-CSF went through a series of acquisitions, including with Marconi plc, before becoming Thales in 2000. In 2005, Thomson bought Cirpack and Inventel.