Radio Rentals
Encyclopedia
Radio Rentals was formed in 1932 to rent out radio sets by Percy Perring-Thoms with a turnover in the first year of £780. It later moved into televisions and ultimately video recorders. In 1965 it merged with RentaSet, Joseph Robinson's similarly formed company. Then in 1968 it was acquired by Thorn Electrical Industries
and joined with Thorn's DER chain (founded 1938) as part of Thorn Television Rentals (TTR) though the two companies were run completely separately with different staff and vehicles etc. In 1980 TTR and thus Radio Rentals became part of the merged Thorn-EMI, and in 2000 it merged with Granada Limited to form boxclever. The company still trades as Radio Rentals in Australia.
, Sussex
, England
. Growth of a public TV service after the war encouraged more people to want TV sets but they were expensive, leaving an opportunity for companies like RR to offer them at a monthly rental price which was much more affordable. With the coming of colour services, initially on BBC2
only, a further opportunity for renting was created. On November 15, 1969, colour broadcasts on both BBC
channels and the ITV
network became available from the main transmitter sites around the UK. This led to a boom in rental of the sets.
Later, in the latter 1970s, video recorders appeared on the market but were expensive. Only 5% of UK households had video recorders in 1980. Radio Rentals elected to offer Ferguson branded JVC
VHS machines from 1977 onwards. With the advent of satellite broadcasting in the 1980s, Radio Rentals offered a range of equipment for rent, enabling more viewers to watch both Sky Television
services and British Satellite Broadcasting
services. (These broadcasters were later to merge and form British Sky Broadcasting
.)
At its peak, Radio Rentals claimed it had more than 2 million customers, over 500 shops and employed 3600 technicians, 2700 skilled installers plus a large ancillary staff. They had sales and service locations across the UK, the RR logo being a common sight on many High Street
s.
As domestic electronics became more reliable, with greater use of integrated circuit
s and better design methods, the urge to rent rather than buy became less - sets were cheaper to buy and more reliable. The company went through many restructures, shedding staff and rebranding itself. In common with other well known rental brands, it could not sustain a viable business model
and has ceased to trade, merging with Granada Limited's rental arm to form boxclever.
, and 28 stores in New Zealand
under the name DTR.
An independently owned chain operates 19 stores within South Australia
; however is not in any way related to Radio Rentals owned by Thorn Australia PTY LTD.
In 2008 the Thorn Group, who operates Radio Rentals, launched Big Brown Box
; an online retailer of brown goods and consumer technology gadgets. The site later expanded to include computers and whitegoods. Thorn Group decided to offload the business in November 2010, with the CEO, John Hughes, saying that while Thorn Group "still believes strategically in online and the potential of BigBrownBox.com.au" the company had to take a pragmatic view on the business given the group's limited resources.
Big Brown Box was later purchased and relaunched by Appliances Online
.
THORN Electrical Industries
Thorn Electrical Industries, Limited was an electrical engineering business. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange but it merged with EMI Group to form Thorn EMI in 1979...
and joined with Thorn's DER chain (founded 1938) as part of Thorn Television Rentals (TTR) though the two companies were run completely separately with different staff and vehicles etc. In 1980 TTR and thus Radio Rentals became part of the merged Thorn-EMI, and in 2000 it merged with Granada Limited to form boxclever. The company still trades as Radio Rentals in Australia.
United Kingdom
Radio Rentals operated mainly in the UK, having started life in Boyces Street BrightonBrighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Growth of a public TV service after the war encouraged more people to want TV sets but they were expensive, leaving an opportunity for companies like RR to offer them at a monthly rental price which was much more affordable. With the coming of colour services, initially on BBC2
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
only, a further opportunity for renting was created. On November 15, 1969, colour broadcasts on both BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
channels and the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network became available from the main transmitter sites around the UK. This led to a boom in rental of the sets.
Later, in the latter 1970s, video recorders appeared on the market but were expensive. Only 5% of UK households had video recorders in 1980. Radio Rentals elected to offer Ferguson branded JVC
JVC
, usually referred to as JVC, is a Japanese international consumer and professional electronics corporation based in Yokohama, Japan which was founded in 1927...
VHS machines from 1977 onwards. With the advent of satellite broadcasting in the 1980s, Radio Rentals offered a range of equipment for rent, enabling more viewers to watch both Sky Television
Sky Television plc
Sky Television plc was a public limited company which operated its four-channel satellite television service, launched by Rupert Murdoch's News International on 5 February 1989...
services and British Satellite Broadcasting
British Satellite Broadcasting
British Satellite Broadcasting was a British television company which provided direct broadcast satellite television services to the United Kingdom...
services. (These broadcasters were later to merge and form British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
.)
At its peak, Radio Rentals claimed it had more than 2 million customers, over 500 shops and employed 3600 technicians, 2700 skilled installers plus a large ancillary staff. They had sales and service locations across the UK, the RR logo being a common sight on many High Street
High Street
High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities, especially in the United Kingdom. It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in city centres, and is most often used in reference to retailing...
s.
As domestic electronics became more reliable, with greater use of integrated circuit
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
s and better design methods, the urge to rent rather than buy became less - sets were cheaper to buy and more reliable. The company went through many restructures, shedding staff and rebranding itself. In common with other well known rental brands, it could not sustain a viable business model
Business model
A business model describes the rationale of how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value...
and has ceased to trade, merging with Granada Limited's rental arm to form boxclever.
Oceania
Thorn operates 70 Radio Rentals stores within AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and 28 stores in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
under the name DTR.
An independently owned chain operates 19 stores within South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
; however is not in any way related to Radio Rentals owned by Thorn Australia PTY LTD.
In 2008 the Thorn Group, who operates Radio Rentals, launched Big Brown Box
Big Brown Box
Big Brown Box is an online retailer of audio visual products, based in Sydney, Australia. It is an online subsidiary of the Winning family, which own and run Winning Appliances and Appliances Online....
; an online retailer of brown goods and consumer technology gadgets. The site later expanded to include computers and whitegoods. Thorn Group decided to offload the business in November 2010, with the CEO, John Hughes, saying that while Thorn Group "still believes strategically in online and the potential of BigBrownBox.com.au" the company had to take a pragmatic view on the business given the group's limited resources.
Big Brown Box was later purchased and relaunched by Appliances Online
Appliances Online
Appliances Online is Australia's largest online retailer of white goods and home appliances. The company is a subsidiary of the family-run Winning Appliances brand and has more than 150,000 customers nationwide....
.