Comet Group
Comet Electricals Limited, trading as Comet, is an online electrical retail chain based in the United Kingdom. The company sells consumer electronics and white goods, along with related products and services. Its predecessor, under the same brand name, pioneered the concept of the out-of-town discount warehouse in the United Kingdom.
Logo from 2010 to 2012, and again since 2020 | |
Trade name | Comet Electricals Limited |
|---|---|
| Company type | Online Electrical Retail |
| Industry | Online Retail |
| Genre | Online Retail |
| Founded | 1933 (original), 2020 (relaunch) |
| Founder | George Hollingbery in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire |
| Defunct | 18 December 2012 (original) (until 2020) |
| Fate | Administration in 2012 (original) |
| Headquarters | Wellingborough, Northamptonshire |
Area served | United Kingdom |
Key people | Adam Muir, Karl Gamble, Nathan Dorrington and Andy Stafford |
| Products | White Goods, Brown Goods, Telecommunications, Information technology, Home Entertainment |
| Owner | Misco Technologies. |
| Parent | Hollingbery family (1933-1984) Woolworth Holdings/Kingfisher (1984-2003) Kesa Electricals (2003-2011) OpCapita (2011-2012) Misco (2020-present) |
| Website | www |
The original company was formed in 1933 by George Hollingbery as a business charging batteries for customers on a weekly basis. The business grew and diversified into radio rentals, and the first store opened in the 1950s. Comet expanded during the 1960s and 1970s, and became a publicly listed company in 1972. The company was purchased by Woolworths, owned by Paternoster Stores (later Kingfisher plc) in 1984.
In 2003, Comet was spun out of the Kingfisher Group to become part of Kesa. In 2011, following sustained losses, Kesa sold the company to private equity firm OpCapita for a token £2. The firm entered administration in November 2012, and all stores and their stock was liquidated and closed by 18 December. Before its collapse, the company was the UK's second biggest electrical retailer, with 6,000 staff and over 200 stores.
In 2019, Misco Technologies Limited announced the acquisition of the Comet brand from administrators Deloitte, and has relaunched Comet as an online retailer of electrical goods. Whilst Misco is primarily focused on servicing Business and Public sectors, the purchase of Comet has allowed them to open themselves up to the consumer market.