Thorn EMI
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Thorn EMI was a major British company involved in consumer electronics, music, defence and retail. It was created in October 1977 when Thorn Electrical Industries merged with EMI to form one of the largest operating companies in the United Kingdom.
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[edit] Divisions
Thorn EMI's wide range of business covered four principal areas of activity; retail/rentals, defence, music and consumer electronics.
[edit] Retail and rental
Radio Rentals, DER and Rumbelows (which was sold in 1995)
[edit] Defence
From its formation until the mid-1990s Thorn EMI was one of the United Kingdom's largest defence companies.
Thorn EMI acquired the MEL division of Philips in 1990. This company was involved in radar, electronic warfare and communications. The MEL communications business was sold to Thomson-CSF.
In 1995 the various defence businesses were sold:
- Thorn EMI Electro Optics to Pilkington Optronics
- Thomson Thorn Missile Electronics to Thomson-CSF
- Thorn Sensors Group to Racal (to become Racal-Thorn Wells)
[edit] Music
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.
[edit] Computer Software
In the early-to-mid 1980's, 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. These included Gold Rush, Road Racer and Volcanic Planet (1983) and River Rescue (1982). The label was later renamed Creative Sparks.
[edit] Security Systems
Thorn Security installed and serviced all types of electronic security systems from their bases around the UK. The business was absorbed into ADT soon after the EMI demerger and all but a handful of the famous red 'THORN' bellboxes replaced. However, the Fire products especially are still to be found in many premises and until recently spares and complete systems of Thorn heritage continued to be manufactured by ADT.
[edit] Business Communications
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[1]
[edit] Advanced Product Development Centre
This small subsidiary further developed existing products as well as introducing new ones. It was based in St.Lawrence House, Broad Street, Bristol and employed the following people:
- Derek Williams
- John Peacock
- Jan Wojna
- Alan Drake
- Frank Shirvani
- John Linney
- Martyn Wyatt
- Dawn Chick
- Rachel Bessel
[edit] Consumer electronics
Ferguson Radio Corporation was owned by Thorn EMI and it made consumer electronics like TV sets, VCRs, etc. 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 Fergsuon range of TVs for sale in the UK. Some of these Thomson-based models were even manufactured in 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 was its ability to manufacture, say, one of its Ferguson televisions and then to 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.
[edit] Domestic appliances
Kenwood Limited: The company is now owned by DeLonghi.
[edit] Thorn EMI Video
Thorn EMI Video was established in 1977 and produced three made for video films for the British market: Cross Country (film) (1977), and Strange Invaders (1984) and Bloodbath at the House of Death (1984). Thorn EMI became popular with rental stores. In the US Thorn EMI released films on video from various film companies including Orion Pictures (The Terminator, First Blood) and New Line Cinema (The Evil Dead, Xtro).
Thorn EMI joined HBO in 1985 to be named Thorn EMI HBO Video. In 1986, Cannon films bought Thorn EMI's video library, but HBO stayed and became HBO/Cannon Video. Cannon left operations and was eventually just called HBO Video in 1987.
[edit] See also
[edit] Demerger and Demise
On August 16, 1996, Thorn EMI shareholders voted in favour of demerger proposals. The company became EMI Group plc, and the electronics and rentals divisions were divested as Thorn plc and the company was acquired by Future Rentals, a subsidiary of Nomura Group in 1998.
Thorn subsequently passed to Terra Firma Capital Partners who set up the Brighthouse chain. The remainder of the company was sold to a private buyer [2].
Also see Quadriga, a former division of Thorn.
