Alba (electronics)
Alba logo 2015 to 2022 | |
| Product type | Electronics |
|---|---|
| Owner | J Sainsbury plc |
| Introduced | 1917 |
| Discontinued | 2022 |
| Previous owners | Home Retail Group (2008–2016) Harvard International Ltd/Alba plc (1982–2008) ALBA (Radio & Television) Ltd. (1960–1982) |
Alba was a British consumer electronics company and brand name that produced budget electronics. Its origins date to 1917 when it became active in the radio and TV industry as A.J. Balcombe Ltd.
Following the demise of the original company in the early 1980s, the brand was purchased by distributor Harvard International, which in turn rebranded itself as Alba plc. In addition to Alba, the company subsequently acquired or licensed numerous other brands, including Bush, and became popular in the low-end market in the UK.
In 2008, it reverted to its old name and sold both the Alba and Bush brands to the Home Retail Group, the parent company of the retailer Argos, which was in turn was taken over by J Sainsbury plc in 2016. The Alba brand was quietly dropped by Sainsbury's in 2022 in favour of its more upmarket sister brand Bush. Harvard International retains the rights to the brand for Australia and New Zealand.