Phoenix Telephone and Electric Works
of The Hyde, Edgware Road, Hendon, London NW9. Telephone: Colindale 7243. Cables: "Phonofenix, London"
1911 Incorporated as a private company.
1947 Listed Exhibitor - British Industries Fair. Manufacturers of Tinsel Products, Tinsel Garlands, Stars, Icicles, Christmas Trees, Cake Decorations, Chenilles for Window Display, Tinsel Ribbons in Silver, Gold and Coloured. Hanked, Spooled or Carded Tinsel Cords, Brilliant and Sparklet. (Olympia, 2nd Floor, Stand No. J.2243) [1]
1950 Phoenix Telephone and Electric Holdings Ltd incorporated as a public company to acquire Phoenix Telephone and Electric Works Ltd, manufacturer of telephone apparatus (about half of the total value of its production), electrical and mechanical domestic appliances, tinsel (a component of telephone cords) and tinsel decorations, etc[2]. Subsidiary companies included E. Walker and Co (Electrical Engineers) Ltd, The Private Telephone and Electric Co Ltd, Clarion Equipment Ltd, Correx Communications Equipment (1948) Ltd.
1959 Attempts to diversify the business were unsuccessful - had wanted to reduce the effect of having the Post Office as by far the single largest customer.
1960 The 3 smaller suppliers in the telephone supply industry at this time were Phoenix, the Telephone Manufacturing Co and Plessey[3].
1960 A consortium of AEI, Automatic Telephone and Electric Co, Ericsson TelephonesLtd, GEC, Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Co, Plessey Co and STC formed a new holding company Combined Telephone Holdings only days after most of its members had failed in their bid to acquire Telephone Manufacturing Co.
1960 Combined Telephone Holdings purchased for cash more than half of the shares in Phoenix Telephone and Electric Holdings and offered to purchase the rest[4].
1967 GEC owned 17 percent and AEI owned 16.7 percent of Phoenix Telephones [5]