Rumbelows

Forgotten Shops · 1949–1995

Published 28 August 2026

Rumbelows was the national trading name of a British electrical-retailing chain rooted in Sydney Rumbelow’s music-and-electrical shop in Hatfield, opened in 1949. Thorn adopted the Rumbelow name across its electrical outlets in 1969. By 1983, Billboard described Rumbelows as Thorn EMI’s retailing subsidiary and the second-largest British electrical-goods chain, with around 370 stores nationwide. Its advertising included television campaigns and the “Option 3” route to television ownership after three years.

Why It Mattered

For many high streets, the name became highly visible through nationwide electrical retailing, television advertising and the Rumbelows Cup sponsorship. The chain’s scale gave it a recognisable place in British shopping and football culture.

Its scheduled 1995 shutdown, affecting all 285 branches, reflected intense competition facing established electrical retailers, including pressure from larger, better-stocked out-of-town superstores.

Origins and National Banner

- Sydney Rumbelow opened a music-and-electrical shop at 5 The Parade, St Albans Road, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, in 1949.
- A Hatfield local-history account says the original business was absorbed into a larger group in the early 1960s.
- Thorn adopted the Rumbelow name for its electrical outlets in 1969.

Stores, Modernisation and Advertising

- Billboard reported around 370 stores nationwide in September 1983.
- The 1983 modernisation programme was intended to standardise store image and layout while advertising stressed high-technology products.
- A 1986–87 television commercial promoted “Option 3” with the line “It’s a lot more tempting than renting.”

Sponsorship and Closure

- A 1990–91 football programme calls the Wembley final of 21 April 1991 the “Rumbelows Cup Final.”
- In January 1992, UPI reported plans to move 500 Rumbelows stores into Thorn EMI’s television-and-video rental division while retaining the name.
- The Independent reported on 8 February 1995 that all 285 Rumbelows branches were to close by the end of April.

Associated With

Sydney Rumbelow - founder; Thorn EMI - later owner and national operator

Defining Feature

Electrical retailing, television advertising and rental-to-ownership offers

Status

Defunct - chain closure was announced in February 1995, with branches scheduled to close by the end of April

Primary Records

- **Rumbelows Option 3 Commercial: Arm Rev**
- **Rumbelows Stores Commercial: Banjoman 2**
- **Manchester United Football Club Programme, 1990–91**

Image Sources

- **Image 1**
- **Image 2**
- **Image 3**
- **Image 4**
- **Image 5**

Rights Notice

Images are included for historical and archival reference.

Rights holders may contact Forgotten Archive through the publishing account to request a credit correction or removal.

Gallery

Colour photograph of a Rumbelows high-street shopfront with yellow lettering, appliance-filled windows, large credit and interest-free posters, and several pedestrians passing outside. — Source
Credit
Behance
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
Rumbelows’ illuminated shopfront and window offers preserve the electronics retailer’s high-street sales pitch.

Source

Credit

Rumbelows advertising artwork; scan preserved by Stereo2Go contributor not identified

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

Rumbelows' Price Power advert brought cassette players, credit offers and large prices together, reflecting the competitive language of high-street electronics retail.

Photograph of a printed Rumbelows advertisement on grey patterned carpet. A man labelled “BRIAN” appears at upper left, with photographs of a CD player and stacked hi-fi units alongside text about buying hi-fi in the “Rumbelows Fridge Free Zone”. — Source
Credit
eBay UK
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
The “Fridge Free Zone” advert promoted Rumbelows’ audio department by joking about its better-known domestic appliances.

Black-and-white photograph of a shop with a SYDNEY RUMBELOW sign above the entrance, Ekco and Philips signs in the windows, and displays including a television, radios and large household appliances. — Source
Credit
Our Stevenage
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
The Sydney Rumbelow shopfront records the earlier family name before it became the national Rumbelows brand.

Black-and-white photograph of a corner Rumbelows electrical shop beneath a curved sign reading “RUMBELOWS” and “Rentaset from Rumbelows.” Televisions, cookers, washing machines and other appliances fill the display windows while pedestrians pass on the pavement; a street sign reads “Broadway.” — Source
Credit
Bradford Telegraph & Argus
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
The corner shop’s Rumbelows and Rentaset signs bring electrical retail and television rental together on one frontage.