Roberts Radio

History Of Roberts Radio

Roberts Radio was founded by Harry Roberts and Leslie Bidmead in London in 1932. Initially production was small, just 3 radio a week but you must remember in those days a Radio was an expensive luxury and Roberts Radio soon built a reputation for the quality of their radios. Roberts had a simple hey had a simple philosophy: never compromise on quality and keep pushing the boundaries.  In the company moved to East Molesey in Surrey as London had become a hazardous place due to the bombing.  In 1962, the company had a purpose-built factory constructed in West Molesey.

The outstanding quality of Roberts Radios was recognised when they were awarded two Royal Warrants as manufacturers and suppliers of radio receivers to Her Majesty The Queen and HRH the Price of Wales in 1955 and 1985 respectively. This means that the Queen and her family have enjoyed Roberts radios at Buckingham Palace for over 60 years! From Harry Roberts starting a tiny radio shop in London, through to our appointment as a supplier to the Queen, our undying dedication to R&D has remained the focal part of our company.

The 1980s were a tough time for Roberts radio as a flood of cheap transistor radios from Japan hit the UK market. But Roberts Radio fought back and after one of their radios appeared in a Martini advert in 1989 they released the Revival range which was a modern day transistor version of a 1950s model. Since then the Roberts Revival Radio has gone from strength to strength becoming one of those iconic must have products that have graced the pages of many glossy magazines. The Revival Radio still has that 1950s Retro look but it has evolved from the R250 – RD50 - RD60 - RD70 - iStream2 and is now a fully functional digital radio with Bluetooth and Wi-fi. Today Roberts Radio manufactures a wide range of digital radio, wireless speakers and sound systems. Launched in Noveber 2017 The Roberts Revival Reborn and the Revival Uno head up the Roberts Retro radio line up