Amstrad

Amstrad was a pioneering British electronics company founded in 1968 by Alan Sugar at age 21, with the name derived from 'Alan Michael Sugar Trading.' Initially focused on HiFi equipment, Amstrad revolutionized the affordable audio market in the 1970s by using injection molding plastics for turntable covers, significantly undercutting competitors. The company expanded from amplifiers, tuners, and cassette decks to become famous for home computers like the Amstrad CPC and later acquiring the ZX Spectrum range from Sinclair. In the 1990s, Amstrad shifted to satellite technology, becoming Sky TV's primary set-top box manufacturer from 1989. BSkyB acquired Amstrad for £125 million in 2007, after which it ceased independent operations and was delisted in 2008. In 2024, Alan Sugar bought back the Amstrad name from Sky after 17 years, establishing Amstrad Digital, a digital marketing agency run by his grandson Joe Baron, marking a full-circle return to the Sugar family.