Bush (electronics brand)

Lore & Background

Bush Radio was founded in 1932 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. The company expanded rapidly, moving to a new factory at Power Road, Chiswick in 1936. In 1945, Bush became part of the Rank empire when it was acquired by Cinema-Television, a subsidiary of Gaumont-British. A new factory opened at Ernesettle, Plymouth in 1949. The DAC90 radio, designed by Frank Middleditch, featured in the 1946 V&A exhibition Britain Can Make It; its successor, the DAC90A, came in other colours and export models with dials in different languages. In 1950, the DAC10 radios and the distinctive TV22 television were launched. The Bush TR82 transistor radio, designed by Ogle Design and launched in 1959, is regarded as an icon of early radio design, though the first radio to use the Ogle cabinet design was the MB60, a battery/mains valve set from 1957 to 1959.

The original Bush Radio company merged with Murphy Radio on 4 June 1962, forming Rank Bush Murphy Ltd. In 1978, Rank Bush Murphy was sold to British conglomerate Great Universal Stores. Rank formed a joint venture with Toshiba in 1978 called Rank Toshiba, manufacturing Toshiba-designed televisions in Ernesettle, Plymouth. In 1980, Rank terminated its agreement with Toshiba, and Toshiba took over the UK factory. In 1981, two entrepreneurs, Mark Flutter and Richard Schlagman, purchased the Bush brand name trademark from Rank for £600,000. They refreshed the brand with imported products including radio alarms, cassette recorders and hi-fi systems, leading to it being floated as Bush Radio plc in 1984. In March 1986, Prestwich Holdings agreed to acquire Bush Radio for £15 million. In May 1988, Bush was acquired by Alba plc for £6 million. Under Alba Group, Bush products became common on imported electronic goods. In November 2008, the Bush brand name, along with Alba, was purchased by Home Retail Group for £15.25 million. In September 2016, Sainsbury's completed its acquisition of Home Retail Group, bringing Argos and the Bush brand under its ownership. In 2022, the Bush brand replaced the Alba brand, giving Sainsbury's one main own-brand electronics label.

Bush has made or makes many kinds of products: 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. Reproductions of classic Bush Radio models from the 1950s and 1960s have been created, some including DAB tuners; the TR82DAB reproduction was launched in 2006. In 2000, the Bush Internet TV was launched in partnership with Virgin.net but became a failure, with Alba writing off the investment in November 2001. As part of a 2015 rebrand, a new Bush Classic range of vintage-style DAB radios and fridge freezers was launched, later including wooden-cased radios and turntables. In 2024, the first Bush TVs with Freely were released. At least some Bush TV sets and white goods are made by Turkish company Vestel. In 2013, a 7-inch tablet called MyTablet was released under the Bush brand for £99.99, designed to compete against the Tesco Hudl; it was noted to be a flop. A newer tablet, the Bush Spira B1, was introduced in 2015, and in 2016 the Bush Spira E3X Android smartphone was released for £199.99. In 2016, Argos recalled a Bush 9-inch portable DVD player due to safety issues with its power adapter. In 2019, Argos issued a safety alert stating that some Bush tumble dryers may pose a fire risk, and a warning was also issued for the Bush LSBBDFO double oven.

Reader's Guide

Bush's significance lies in its transformation from a pioneering mid-20th-century British radio manufacturer into a modern private-label brand for budget electronics. The original Bush Radio company produced iconic designs such as the DAC90 and DAC90A valve radios and the TR82 transistor radio, the latter regarded as an icon of early radio design. After the original company merged with Murphy Radio in 1962 and later passed through several corporate owners, the Bush brand name was revived in the 1980s by entrepreneurs who imported consumer electronics, successfully revitalising it on the high street. Under Alba plc and later Home Retail Group and Sainsbury's, Bush became a ubiquitous own-brand label, particularly known for smaller-size TVs in the 1990s and later expanding into smart TVs, tablets, white goods, and other products. The brand's legacy includes both its historical role in British radio design and its current position as a budget electronics staple sold exclusively through Argos in the UK. Reproductions of classic Bush radio models, such as the TR82DAB launched in 2006, have kept the brand's heritage visible. However, the brand has also faced product safety recalls and warnings, including for a portable DVD player and tumble dryers. In Australia and New Zealand, the Bush brand is separately owned by Harvard International, reflecting a split in the brand's ownership.

Did You Know?

• The Bush TR82 transistor radio, launched in 1959 and designed by Ogle Design, is regarded as an icon of early radio design.
• In 1981, the Bush brand name trademark was purchased from Rank for £600,000 by two entrepreneurs, Mark Flutter and Richard Schlagman.
• In 2022, the Bush brand replaced the Alba brand under Sainsbury's ownership, giving the supermarket one main own-brand electronics label.