Sir
Jules Thorn had worked in England as a travelling salesman for company Olso, an Austrian manufacturer of
gas mantles. When Olso went bankrupt in 1926, Thorn decided to stay in England and set up Electric Lamp Service Company as dealers in electrical and radio goods, including importing Hungarian lamps. In 1931, Thorn opened his first shop, renting radios in
Twickenham. Thorn acquired the
Atlas Lamp Works company in 1932 and began making
light bulbs in
Edmonton,
north London by the end of 1933. The company grew rapidly to become one of the world's largest producers of lamps,
luminaires and lighting components. In October 1933, Jules Thorn formed Lotus Radio (1933) Limited with Mr L. M. Glancy, a director of Chorlton Metal Co. Limited, acquiring certain assets of the original Lotus Company and to manufacture radio receivers. Jules Thorn became chairman of
Ferguson Radio Corporation in 1936 and Thorn began distributing their entire domestic radio production. In 1947 Thorn formed an agreement with
Sylvania Electric Products to co-operate on the development and manufacture of
fluorescent lamps. The company bought Tricity Cookers in 1951.
Further expansion In 1957, Thorn entered an agreement with
Bendix Aviation Corporation in the United States to make electrical components for guided missiles and supersonic aircraft in the UK on behalf of Bendix. The same year, they made arrangements with
EMI to produce "
His Master's Voice" (HMV) and
Marconiphone radio and television receivers. They also brought all the lighting activities under Atlas Lighting Limited. In April 1959, they acquired
Philco's UK business. The company bought
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 and in Bradford, UK. In June 1967,
Moffat's interests in the UK were acquired. In August 1967, Thorn acquired
Metal Industries, Limited, which had interests in electrical and electronic control and instrumentation, including
Avo, Towler and Fawcett. In November 1967, Thorn bought out AEI's 35% interest in British Lighting Industries. In March 1968, they acquired Keyswitch Relays. By 1968, the Thorn Group had over fifty major factories in the United Kingdom and eight overseas covering a wide field in the electrical and electronics industries. The same year it also acquired
Kenwood Manufacturing, a domestic appliance manufacturer. GTE sold its shares in 1968 following the acquisition of Radio Rentals. (microwave equipment). ==Merger with EMI==