Roberts Radio Ltd.
Established 1932Founded in 1932 by Harry Roberts and Leslie Bidmead, Roberts Radio Ltd. quickly established a solid reputation for their high-quality portable radios. In the early days Roberts never went in for conventional advertising, preferring to do things that were sufficiently newsworthy as to receive free media coverage. The most valuable publicity came simply from demonstrating how good the product was.
The company was the first UK manufacturer to market a radio containing an integrated circuit. Inspired by a handbag belonging to Harry Roberts’ wife Elsie, this model was covered in coloured leather cloth with a fabric loudspeaker grille. Its status was enhanced by releasing limited numbers in special finish leather cloths through Harrods. Recently, this iconic radio has been reissued and features digital radio as well. Roberts Radio Ltd. has been granted three Royal warrants in its own right, and one via the purchase of Dynatron Radio Ltd.
Care has been taken to trace the ownership of any copyright material and to contact the owner. The author does not intend to infringe on anyone’s copyright for text, photos or otherwise. Anyone who feels that any item in these pages may have inadvertently breeched their copyright should advise the author via the contact sheet, including a link to the page, so that appropriate remedial action can be taken.
