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Bush (electronics brand)

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Bush
Product typeConsumer electronics
OwnerJ Sainsbury plc
Harvard International (Bush Australia; in Oceania)
Introduced1932 as Bush Radio
Previous ownersHome Retail Group (2008 to 2016)
Alba Group (1988 to 2008)

Bush is a British consumer electronics brand owned by J Sainsbury plc (Sainsbury's), the parent company of the retailer Argos,[1] both of which exclusively sell Bush products.[2] The brand has existed since the 1930s and originated as a London-based company named Bush Radio.

Bush Radio was one of the most famous manufacturers of early British radio receivers in the mid 20th century. The original company became defunct in 1962 when it merged with Murphy Radio, but the Bush brand name survives as a private label brand for budget electronics,[1][3] becoming the most popular brand in the UK for smaller-size TVs in the 1990s[4] and has since also become popular for products such as smart TVs, tablets and white goods as of 2015.[5]

Bush Radio company

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The company was founded in 1932 as Bush Radio from the remains of the Graham Amplion company, which had made horn loudspeakers as a subsidiary of the Gaumont British Picture Corporation. The brand name comes from Gaumont's Shepherd's Bush studios.[6] Bush Radio Ltd expanded rapidly moving to a new factory at Power Road, Chiswick in 1936.[7]

Bush became part of the Rank empire in 1945 and a brand new factory was opened at Ernesettle, Plymouth in 1949.[8] In 1946 the DAC90,[9] designed by Frank Middleditch,[10] featured in the V&A exhibition Britain Can Make It.[11] The original model in black became very popular and was succeeded by the DAC90A in other colours, and export models with dials in different languages.

Bush DAC 90A radio

In 1950 the DAC10 radios were launched, along with the distinctive TV22 television.

Bush Radio reproduction of 1959 TR82 transistor portable. A design icon of the early transistor radios.

The Bush TR82 transistor radio, designed by Ogle Design, and launched in 1959, is regarded as an icon of early radio design. Although the first radio to use the Ogle cabinet design was actually the MB60, a battery/mains valve set from 1957 to 1959.

The original Bush Radio company merged with Murphy Radio on 4 June 1962,[12] and a new company was formed called Rank Bush Murphy Ltd. In 1978, Rank Bush Murphy was sold to British conglomerate Great Universal Stores.[13][14]

Rank formed a joint venture with Toshiba in 1978 called Rank Toshiba, and manufactured Toshiba designed televisions in Ernesettle, Plymouth, England. In 1980 Rank terminated its agreement with Toshiba and the joint company was wound up. Toshiba took over the UK factory and continued to manufacture television sets alone.[8]

Brand since the 1980s

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In 1981, two young entrepreneurs, Mark Flutter and Richard Schlagman, purchased the Bush brand name trademark from Rank for £600,000. They refreshed the brand on the high street with imported products including radio alarms, cassette recorders and hi-fi systems.[15] It successfully revitalised the brand and led to it being floated as Bush Radio plc in 1984.[16] In March 1986, Prestwich Holdings agreed to acquire Bush Radio for £15 million.[15]

In May 1988, Bush was acquired by Alba plc for £6 million.[17] Under the Alba Group, Bush products once again became common,[18] being used primarily on imported electronic goods.

Former Bush logo in use until 2015

In November 2008, the Bush brand name, along with Alba, was purchased by Home Retail Group, the parent company of Homebase and Argos, for £15.25 million.[19] As a result, the former Alba Group has now been renamed Harvard International. Harvard International still owns the Bush brand in Oceania.[20]

In September 2016, the British supermarket chain Sainsbury's completed its acquisition of Home Retail Group,[21] bringing Argos, along with the Alba and Bush brands, under its ownership. In 2022 the Bush brand replaced the Alba brand, enabling Sainsbury's to have one main own brand electronics brand.[1][22]

Product range

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Bush makes or has made many kinds of products including: televisions, boomboxes, shelf stereos, set-top boxes, washing machines, radios, trimmers, headsets, headphones, ovens, cookers, fridges, computer mice, webcams, microphones, turntables, DVD players, Blu-ray players, home cinemas, MP3 players, MP4 players, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, camcorders, smartphones and tablets.

Radios and TVs

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Reproductions of classic Bush Radio models from the 1950s and 1960s have also been created under the Bush brand. Some of these units also include DAB tuners. The TR82DAB, a reproduction of the classic TR82, was launched in 2006.[23]

In 2000, the Bush Internet TV was launched in partnership with Virgin.net.[4] Although it rapidly increased Alba plc's share price, public disinterest in the product led to it becoming a failure.[24][25] Alba wrote off the investment in the Bush Internet product and platform in November 2001.[26]

As part of a rebrand in 2015, a new Bush Classic range was also launched consisting of vintage style DAB radios as well as fridge freezers.[27] The Classic range also led to wooden cased radios and turntables.[28]

In 2024, the first Bush TVs with Freely were released.[29]

Bush iD, a former branding used until 2008 for certain products

White goods

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At least some of the Bush TV sets and some white goods are made by Turkish company Vestel.

Portables

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In 2013 a 7-inch tablet computer called MyTablet was released under the Bush brand; it cost £99.99.[30] It was designed to compete against the Tesco Hudl.[31] MyTablet was noted to be a flop, and a newer tablet called Bush Spira B1 was introduced in 2015.[32] In 2016, the Bush Spira E3X Android smartphone was released for a budget price of £199.99.[33]

Issues

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In 2016, Argos recalled a Bush 9-inch portable DVD player product due to safety issues with its power adapter.[34] In 2019, Argos issued a safety alert stating that some Bush tumble dryers may pose a fire risk.[35] A warning was also issued for the Bush LSBBDFO double oven.[36]

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  • Bush brand reproduction of the Philco model 90 "cathedral radio" of 1931, a design icon of early radio, and the most recognised cathedral design sets
    Bush brand reproduction of the Philco model 90 "cathedral radio" of 1931, a design icon of early radio, and the most recognised cathedral design sets

References

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  1. ^ a b c Pratt, Martin. "Should you buy a Bush, JVC, Logik or Technika TV?". Which. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Bush Definition/Meaning". Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  3. ^ "Never mind the badge on the front - who REALLY made your TV set?". The Yorkshire Post. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Alba upbeat over its net TV launch". The Argus. 17 June 2000. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  5. ^ Chapman, Matthew (10 June 2015). "Argos to revamp Bush and Alba own-brand technology ranges". Retail Week. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  6. ^ Isaacs, Allan. "A Potted History of some famous UK Radio Manufacturers: Bush". Archived from the original on 21 June 2007. Retrieved 2 March 2006.
  7. ^ "Bush history". www.radiomuseum.co.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  8. ^ a b The Setmakers by Keith Geddes and Gordon Bussey (ISBN 0951704206)
  9. ^ "DAC90". Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  10. ^ "Cornwall Artists Index: Frank Middleditch". Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  11. ^ "Britain Can Make It". Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  12. ^ "The Bush/Murphy merger", bushradio.co.uk. Article. Retrieved 31 October 2006
  13. ^ "Rank Bush Murphy Group 1962 - 1978". The Science Museum. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  14. ^ Asli M. Colpan, Takashi Hikino, ed. (2018). Business Groups in the West: Origins, Evolution, and Resilience. Oxford University Press. p. 138. ISBN 9780198717973.
  15. ^ a b The Times, 1986, UK, English.
  16. ^ https://cnac.fr/sites/default/files/2023-05/phaidon-history.pdf
  17. ^ Daily Express. 14 May 1988. Alba is buying Bush Radio from Prestwich for £6 million, in shares. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  18. ^ Intro page, bushradio.co.uk. Article. Retrieved 31 October 2006
  19. ^ "Radio and television brands Alba and Bush sold to Argos owner Home Retail Group". www.telegraph.co.uk. 27 November 2008. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  20. ^ "Harvard International Limtied". harvardltd.com. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  21. ^ "Sainsbury's acquisition of Argos parent company now complete". Retail Gazette. 2 September 2016. Archived from the original on 8 December 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016. Sainsbury's has confirmed its acquisition of Home Retail Group is now complete.
  22. ^ "Never mind the badge on the front - who REALLY made your TV set?". The Yorkshire Post. 5 September 2016.
  23. ^ PELL, EDITED BY ALEX (12 November 2006). "DAB radio reviews: Bush TR82DAB". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  24. ^ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/alba-s-rapid-reactions-breathe-life-into-brands-of-yesteryear-108954.html
  25. ^ citywire.com https://citywire.com/new-model-adviser/news/alba-gets-entangled-in-bushy-web/a224983. Retrieved 30 January 2025. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  26. ^ "Alba plans push to shift set-top boxes". www.campaignlive.co.uk. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
  27. ^ "Elmwood gives tech brand Bush "personality" with new identity". Design Week. 9 September 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  28. ^ "Ireland rides new wave of 'tech-nostalgia' as Bush reveals 69% of Irish people are re-discovering retro audio products and find it the most appealing way to experience music". www.about.sainsburys.co.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  29. ^ "Everyone TV announces four new Freely partners". Broadband TV News. 24 June 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  30. ^ "Argos launches £99 MyTablet for 8- to 13-year-olds". The Independent. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  31. ^ "MyTablet: Argos launches Tesco tablet rival". Metro. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  32. ^ published, John McCann (21 July 2015). "Argos launches fresh assault on low-cost tablets". TechRadar. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  33. ^ "The Argos Android phone from Bush is a bargain smartphone for under £200". Tech Advisor. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  34. ^ Mal, Nisha (9 December 2016). "Argos recall portable DVD player over risk of electronic shocks". Yorkshire Live. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  35. ^ "Argos warns Bush tumble dryers may present fire risk". Yorkshire Evening Post. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  36. ^ McKean, Oliver (19 July 2019). "Argos issues Bush double oven safety warning - Which? News". Which?. Retrieved 29 January 2025.

Sources

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