Electricals retailer Comet makes its comeback, 14 years after chain's collapse

Electricals retailer Comet makes its comeback, 14 years after chain's collapse EXCLUSIVE: Gadget and electricals firm Comet went to the wall in 2012 but has been revived with a new marketplace website that has gone live Comet will make its comeback today - 14 years after the electrical chain’s collapse. The retailer has been revived as an online only business - complete with its original branding - with the hope of taking on the might of Amazon and others. More than a million electrical products will be available from the start, ranging from TVs and mobile phones, to washing machines and kettles. The launch comes after online marketplace OnBuy.com bought the Comet brand in May last year. Onbuy had originally said the Comet website would go live by last Christmas, but that was delayed. To see more of the stories you love from The Mirror and to find them easily in Google then make us your preferred source. Free and easy-to-do, just click on the link here to find more from The Mirror at the top of your feed. Comet was founded in Hull in 1933 and started out selling batteries and radios, and grew to become a high street giant. But in what was one of the biggest high street casualties of recent years, the 236-store chain went to the wall in 2012, with 7,000 job losses, after racking up heavy losses. The relaunched Comet won’t sell its own stock but instead operate as an online shop window where big name retailers and electricals goods makers can advertise and sell their products. A confident Cas Paton, founder of OnBuy, said: “We have got Comet so well placed for the launch that we know that the site is going to be a success. “There’s never been an electronics and gadgets marketplace in the UK. There has been in the US and Europe. We think there is a big gap in the market for consumers to compare different retailers and different brands.” He claimed Comet’s website would display far more products than retailer rivals, with over one million products and accessories. Mr Paton, who started his first business aged 21 with £80 after leaving the Royal Navy, insists the strength of the Comet brand can prove a winner. “We’ve done some testing and paid a lot of money for the brand,” he said. “We think it’s such a good, positive story that something is actually coming back, rather than collapsing. It’s a resurgence of something that is quite dear to people, and positive nostalgia.” Remembering how he used to go into Comet stores, he said: “There were only two places to buy your gadgets and electricals, Dixons and Comet. People felt deary about Comet but it lost its way.” While there won’t be a return of Comet stores, he said they were looking at tying up with a retailer to offer a click-and-collect option for customers.