Watford Electronics

Watford Electronics was a British computer electronics company. It was founded in 1972 in a bedroom belonging to brothers Nazir and Raza Jessa, and grew to become one of the best-known suppliers of microcomputers and micro peripherals during the 1980s.[1]

In the 1970s Watford Electronics sold components and kits, through advertising in electronics magazines, and a paper catalogue. They had one shop in Watford, but mostly traded as a mail-order company.[2]

In the early 1980s Watford Electronics expanded into the home computer market. It was particularly active in the BBC Micro scene, producing a variety of peripherals for the computer, as well as a version of the Disc Filing System. They sold their own hardware under the Aries brand. Watford Electronics gradually moved over to supporting the Wintel market in the 1990s.[1] In the 21st century, the company opened an online store, Savastore, but in 2007 Watford collapsed into administration.[3] Watford Electronics was then bought out by Globally Limited, and in April that year, the website became known as Saverstore.[4]

  1. ^ a b "Electronic makeover". Computer Weekly. 8 February 2001. Retrieved 17 March 2009.
  2. ^ Winstanley, Alan (15 July 2018). "The Legacy of Watford Electronics". Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  3. ^ Ballard, Mark (9 February 2007). "Watford Electronics left debts of £3.5m". Channel Register. Retrieved 17 March 2009.
  4. ^ Collins, Barry (16 April 2007). "Goodbye Savastore, hello Saverstore". PC Pro. Retrieved 17 March 2009.