42-704: Thorn EMI was a major British company involved in consumer electronics, music, defence and retail. Created in October 1979, when Thorn Electrical Industries merged with EMI , it was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index . It demerged back to separate companies in 1996. The company was formed following the board of EMI accepting a £169 million offer from Thorn Electrical Industries in November 1979 to merge
84-453: A board member until 1977. Her place as managing director was taken by Peter Stockham. then followed a period when Dillons was controlled by the unions (Actss). Then in 1977, Grant Paton, from Glasgow, was appointed managing director by the then owners, University of London. It was taken over shortly afterwards by Pentos . Back in private hands by the mid-1980s, the store undertook a major makeover and modernisation, announcing its relaunch with
126-449: A residential building with shops on the ground floor. Although the initial proposal for a partnership fell through, in 1956 Dillon was again approached by the university, and agreed to use her stock and goodwill from Store Street to purchase a minority stake in a bookshop on the new site, on the understanding that the new shop would bear her name. The university contributed £11,000 in capital that it had obtained as an insurance payment for
168-640: Is now owned by DeLonghi . Following the merger, EMI's film division was renamed Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment. The newly merged company continued the film interests EMI had acquired over the preceding decade; these had included the former Associated British Picture Corporation , and their facilities at Elstree Studios, Shenley Road, Borehamwood and ABC Cinemas . Thorn EMI Video was established in 1981. Thorn EMI released films on video from various film companies including Orion Pictures ( First Blood , The Terminator ), New Line Cinema ( The Evil Dead , Xtro ), and Universal ( Bad Boys , Frances ) in
210-591: The Commonwealth of Nations . Further expansion was impossible without outside support, however, and Dillon was one of several booksellers approached by the University of London , who were looking to form a partnership to open a bookshop alongside a chemist and a newsagent in a block the university had acquired after the war on Torrington Place , Gower Street and Malet Street . The block had been designed by architect Charles Fitzroy Doll and built in 1908 as
252-539: The HMV stores. In 1987, Thorn EMI acquired Rent-A-Center in the United States for $ 594 million which had 469 stores on acquisition. In 1989, Rumbelows was acquired by Radio Rentals and all Rumbelows' rental accounts were transferred to Radio Rentals, bolstering its market position. With its core business removed, Rumbelows sought a new identity as a more conventional (non-rental) retailer, even adding computers to
294-834: The Prince Edward Theatre , and the Empire Ballroom and Cinema in Leicester Square in London were sold to Trust House Forte for £16 million. Lord Delfont became chairman and chief executive of THF's leisure division. In May 1984, the Company attempted to merge with British Aerospace and, in July 1984, it bought the micro-chip manufacturer, INMOS . In April 1986, Thorn EMI sold its film and video operations to businessman Alan Bond . Thorn EMI acquired
336-589: The 140 Dillons bookstore locations. Of the remaining 100 stores, most kept the name Dillons, while the remainder were Hatchards and Hodges Figgis . The EMI label expanded greatly as part of Thorn EMI. In 1989, Thorn EMI bought a 50% interest in Chrysalis Records , buying the outstanding 50% in 1991. In one of its highest-profile and most expensive acquisitions, Thorn EMI took over Richard Branson 's Virgin Records in 1992 for £510 million. Thorn EMI
378-408: The 1980s. Thorn EMI joined HBO in November 1984 to create Thorn EMI/HBO Video. In April 1986, Thorn EMI sold Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment and the film library, Thorn EMI Video, and ABC Cinemas to businessman Alan Bond . Bond, in turn, sold it to The Cannon Group a week later. HBO maintained an involvement the video company, which became HBO/Cannon Video. Cannon left operations and the company
420-580: The EMI Group in October 1979, to form Thorn EMI . On 16 August 1996, Thorn EMI shareholders voted in favour of de-merging Thorn. The electronics and rentals divisions were divested as Thorn plc. Future Rentals, a subsidiary of the Nomura Group , acquired Thorn in 1998. It subsequently passed to Terra Firma Capital Partners which set up the BrightHouse chain. The remainder of the company
462-698: The Mullard Equipment Limited ('MEL') division of Philips in 1990. Further divestment of operations took place during the 1990s. In 1991, its consulting, systems integration, and outsourcing service division – Thorn EMI Software , was a subject of a management buyout . In 1993, Thames Television was sold. In 1994, following a leveraged management buy-out , Thorn Lighting Ltd floated on the London Stock Exchange as TLG plc (the Thorn Lighting Group) and in 1995,
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#1732797802621504-522: The UK telephone equipment market. GT&E was later replaced by Ericcson of Sweden who wanted a foothold in the UK equipment market and who eventually bought out Thorn's interest. The Thorn Group's notable brands over the years included Radio Rentals , DER (both TV rental), Rumbelows (electrical goods), Tricity (cookers and fridges), Kenwood (food mixers), Thorn Kidde (fire protection), TMD (microwave equipment) and Mazda (light bulbs). Thorn merged with
546-556: The UK, although, in later years, these models were made outside the UK by Thomson. By 1992, the Ferguson TV factory in Gosport had closed, ending a long period of manufacturing of Ferguson TVs in the UK. VCRs were sourced until the early 1990s by a joint company called J2T, established by JVC , Thorn (Ferguson), and Telefunken . From around 1991, VCRs were sourced from Thomson alone. One important aspect of Thorn EMI's business
588-487: The advertising poster "Foyled again? Try Dillons" displayed prominently on the bus shelter opposite its London rival Foyles . Inspired by the success of Waterstones, demonstrating the potential for large modern bookshops with a depth of stock, the new owners Pentos rapidly rolled out the format across the country, ultimately building up a chain of 75 stores. In 1990 Dillons bought Hatchards , based in Piccadilly and
630-661: The bells made during the EMI era being based on the Friedland Master Bell (Big Bell for 8" models). This division, based in Marlow, provided hotels with televisions and related equipment. It also embarked upon a project called Hotel 3000, which provided interactive set-top boxes for hotel rooms in the late 1980s. After Thorn's demerger, this division started operating as Quadriga This small subsidiary further developed existing products, as well as introducing new ones. It
672-495: The book trade through running bookstalls for the Central Association for Mental Welfare after graduating from Bedford College, London . Determined to build a career in bookselling she persuaded the owner of a failing bookshop to sell her the business for £800, borrowing £600 off her father and £200 from a friend. Dillon stocked both academic and general titles, believing that specialisation stifled curiosity, and
714-521: The company expanded under subsequent owners Pentos in the 1980s into a bookselling chain across the United Kingdom. In 1995 Pentos went into receivership and sold Dillons to Thorn EMI , which immediately closed 40 of the 140 Dillons bookstore locations. Of the remaining 100 stores, most kept the name Dillons, while the remainder were Hatchards and Hodges Figgis . Within Thorn EMI, Dillons
756-410: The death in a building accident of a workman who had no relatives. When it opened in 1956, Dillon's University Bookshop only occupied the small part of the building at 1 Malet St, and in its first year saw turnover of £30,000. Una Dillon retired as managing director of the business in 1967 – by which time the shop occupied the entire building and had an annual turnover of over £1m – but she remained as
798-590: The early to mid-1980s, Thorn EMI Video Programmes released a number of games for several home computer formats, initially under their own name. They received a lukewarm reception with no major hits (though Snooker and Billiards did reach No. 6 in the UK Atari Charts). These included Computer War , Tank Commander , Snooker and Billiards , 8-Ball and Tournament Pool , Darts , Cribbage and Dominoes (1981), Gold Rush , Mutant Herd , Road Racer , Volcanic Planet (1983), and River Rescue (1982). The label
840-502: The electronics firm Ferguson Radio Corporation in the late 1950s and Ultra Electronics in 1961. Thorn took over Glover and Main , a local Edmonton company in 1965, a gas-appliance manufacturer. Thorn manufactured television sets in Australia. The company also owned Thorn Benham which made electrical catering equipment. It had a joint venture in the 70's with General Telephone and Electronics of America (GTE) to try and break into
882-478: The forthcoming Single European Act . Gaining critical mass in lighting fixtures – defined as 10% market share in any one county – was identified as a priority. In 1988 Thorn EMI bought the French group Holophane to gain access to its luminaire subsidiary, Europhane. In November 1990, Thorn EMI announced that it had agreed to sell its principal light source interests to GE Lighting . Under the agreement, GE acquired
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#1732797802621924-406: The groups. Thorn saw EMI as a good fit for the future home video market with Thorn manufacturing hardware and EMI providing software. EMI chief executive Bernard Delfont , chairman Sir John Read and Capitol Records ' chief Bhaskar Menon joined the Thorn EMI board, with Read becoming deputy chairman of Thorn EMI. Thorn's chairman Sir Richard Cave became chairman of the merged group. Soon after
966-661: The lamp plants at Enfield, Leicester and Wimbledon, as well as Thorn's 51% in SIVI Illuminazione in Italy and 100% holding in Gluhlampenfabrik Jahn. Thorn EMI subsequently closed its Merthyr Tydfil lamp factory, consolidated its UK distribution centres and sold its South African business. In 1994, following a leveraged management buy-out , Thorn Lighting Ltd floated on the London Stock Exchange as TLG plc (the Thorn Lighting Group). From its formation until
1008-514: The merger, Thorn EMI divested many of the group's leisure operations. In July 1980, seven hotels, including the Tower Hotel, London and Royal Horseguards Hotel , and 12 Angus Steakhouse restaurants were sold for £23 million to Scottish & Newcastle Breweries . In November the same year, most of the group's other leisure interests including Blackpool Tower , amusement parks, sport centres, piers , restaurants, pubs, four theatres, including
1050-573: The mid-1990s, Thorn EMI was one of the United Kingdom's largest defence companies. The MEL Division, acquired from Philips , was involved in radar, electronic warfare, and communications. The MEL communications business was sold to Thomson-CSF , now Thales . In 1995, the various defence businesses were sold: In the early 1980s, Thorn EMI Machine Tools manufactured Computerised Numerical Controlled (CNC) machine tools at its EMI-MEC Limited factory in Chandlers Ford, Eastleigh, Hampshire. In
1092-578: The oldest bookshop in the UK. However, having overreached itself financially, Dillons was acquired by Thorn EMI, which already held the HMV chain, for £36 million. HMV acquired the larger Waterstones chain in 1998, and the following year the Dillons brand ceased to exist as a separate entity when the branches were rebranded as Waterstones. A remainder were sold on to the smaller chain Ottakar's , which itself
1134-509: The product mix. In 1992, Thorn converted some of the remaining Rumbelows shops into DER, Multibroadcast or Radio Rentals branches. Some stores were also converted to the Fona brand. By the 1990s, Rumbelows was making losses and Thorn closed the remaining 285 Rumbelows shops and 36 Fona stores in 1995. In 1995 Thorn EMI bought Dillons the Bookstore from Pentos and immediately closed 40 of
1176-473: The shop prospered catering to the needs of staff and students of the nearby University of London . Dillon would deliver books herself by bicycle within eight hours and the shop began to attract bibliophiles, with regular customers including Cecil Day-Lewis and John Betjeman , who would also become Dillon's personal friends. The outbreak of World War II saw the nearby University of London and Froebel College evacuated from London, but instead of closing for
1218-598: The various defence businesses were sold. On 16 August, 1996, Thorn EMI shareholders voted in favour of demerging Thorn from EMI again: the Company became EMI Group plc , and the electronics and rentals divisions were divested as Thorn plc . Thorn EMI's wide range of business covered the following principal areas of activity; retail/rentals, electronics, defence, software, music, television broadcasting, lighting and film and cinema. Thorn Television Rentals (TTR) comprised two companies on merger, Radio Rentals and DER (Domestic Electric Rentals Ltd). The EMI group also included
1260-668: The war Dillon maintained contact with her customers and shipped orders to their new locations in Cardiff , Leicester and Hertfordshire , while also building a new customer base with the staff of the Ministry of Information who were now established in Senate House . When her shop suffered bomb damage she temporarily operated from an empty shop opposite. After the war Dillon increasingly focused on educational titles and her shop became an important supplier of books to students from
1302-509: Was absorbed into ADT , soon after the EMI demerger, and; all but a handful of the famous red 'Thorn' bellboxes were replaced, mostly by ADT's hexagonal bellboxes, which were inherited by ADT's prior takeover of Modern Alarms. However, the fire products are still present in many premises, and until recently spares and complete systems of Thorn heritage continued to be manufactured by ADT. Most of Thorn's bells and sounders were rebadged Friedland, Fulleon Cooper, or Hosiden Besson products, with most of
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1344-543: Was based in St. Lawrence House, Broad Street, Bristol. Ferguson Radio Corporation was owned by Thorn EMI. It made consumer electronics , such as TV sets and radios . TVs were designed and manufactured by Ferguson in the UK until around the early 1990s, although, before this, some Thomson-designed models were introduced to the Ferguson range of TVs for sale in the UK. Some of these Thomson-based models were even manufactured in
1386-469: Was based in the Thorn EMI head office, Orion House on Upper St Martin's Lane, near Seven Dials in central London. They moved from there to an office in Soho , and the name changed to just Thorn EMI Video. TEV later became Creative Sparks . Thorn Security installed and serviced all types of electronic security systems from their bases around the UK, inheriting EMI's well-known AFA-Minerva lineage. The business
1428-741: Was de-merged in 1996 and became a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index , but was acquired by the Japanese Nomura Group only two years later. It is now owned by Terra Firma Capital Partners . Sir Jules Thorn founded the company with his business partner Alfred Deutsch in March 1928 as The Electric Lamp Service Company Ltd. Thorn had worked in England as a travelling salesman for company Olso, an Austrian manufacturer of gas mantles . When Olso went bankrupt, Thorn decided to stay in England. Deutsch, an Austrian engineer, visited Thorn in 1928 and
1470-606: Was eventually called HBO Video in 1987. Many of EMI's leisure interest were sold the year after the merger but EMI Social Centres chain of bingo halls remained with Thorn EMI. In 1983, the Winter Gardens in Blackpool were sold to First Leisure . Thorn Electrical Industries Thorn Electrical Industries Limited was a British electrical engineering company. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange , but merged with EMI Group to form Thorn EMI in 1979. It
1512-437: Was its ability to manufacture one of its Ferguson televisions, and then make it available for rental through its rentals sector, or sell it through its retail sector. Prism Micro Products was owned by Thorn EMI for a short period in the 1980s. The group was in partnership with Ericsson in the UK telecommunications company Thorn Ericsson but sold its 51% stake to Ericsson in 1988. Kenwood Limited sold small appliances and
1554-449: Was later renamed to Creative Sparks . In 1991, its consulting, systems integration, and outsourcing service division – Thorn EMI Software , was a subject of a management buyout and started to trade as a separate company named "Data Sciences Ltd". The staff and management paid £82 million for the £117 million turnover division. In 1996, IBM acquired Data Sciences plc for £95 million. From 1981 until about 1983, Thorn EMI Video Programmes
1596-574: Was persuaded to stay to help organize the company's production process. Thorn acquired the Atlas Lamp Works company in 1932 and began making light bulbs in Edmonton , North London . The company grew rapidly to become Thorn Lighting , one of the world's largest producers of lamps, luminaires and lighting components. The name changed again to Thorn Electrical Industries in November 1936. The company later began to diversify by buying
1638-678: Was placed in the HMV Group , which had been a division of Thorn EMI since 1986. EMI demerged from Thorn in August 1996, and Dillons-HMV remained an EMI holding. Dillons was subsumed under rival chain Waterstones ' branding in 1999, at which point the brand ceased to exist. Dillon's Bookshop was founded by Una Dillon in 1936 at 9 Store Street , between Gower Street and Tottenham Court Road in Bloomsbury . Dillon had become involved in
1680-633: Was sold to a private buyer in June 2007. Big Brown Box was launched in Australia in 2008 by Thorn, and was later sold to Appliances Online , a subsidiary of Winning Appliances , in 2011. The site was an online retailer of AV equipment, consumer electronics, and appliances. Dillons the Bookstore Dillons was a British bookseller founded in 1936, named after its founder and owner Una Dillon . Originally based in Bloomsbury in London ,
1722-588: Was sold to fellow shareholder, Virgin Group , for £600,000. Thames Television was acquired by Pearson Television in mid-1993. In 1987 the purchase of the Jarnkonst group of Nordic light fitting companies by Thorn Lighting and closure of the Buckie lamp factory signalled a new drive by parent Thorn EMI to trade an export and 'colonies' mentality for a multi-cultural, international outlook, one that took account of
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1764-777: Was the majority shareholder in the London-based ITV broadcaster Thames Television until a share flotation in 1984. In 1984, Thorn EMI and others launched Music Box , Premiere and The Children's Channel via satellite television . In 1985, the company attempted to sell their stake in Thames to Carlton Communications but this was blocked by the governing body of ITV, the Independent Broadcasting Authority . In February 1986, Thorn EMI's 50% stake in Music Box owner, The Music Channel,
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