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In 1926 E K Cole was founded. Initially operating from rooms above a tailor's and confectioner's the company made battery eliminators. Expansion introduced the manufacture of broadcast radio receivers.

By 1928 the workforce numbered around 200 and two years later this had grown to over 2000. Still in Southend, Essex but now a large factory out of town.

At the time it was commercially advantageous for set makers to either make valves or have links to valve makers. in 1935 E K Cole decided to commence valve manufacture and recruited qualified design staff and production facilities. By 1937 they made eleven types of indirectly heated valves for use in their sets. All of the valve Types were close in design to the Mullard 4 Volt range and could be interchanged with them.

In June 1938 E K Cole sold the goodwill and valve interests to Mullard and agreed not to re-enter the valve business. This agreement expired at the end of 1950.

The scale of the Ekco brand of receivers can be judged by the fact that between 1935 and 1938 the company made approximately 2,000,000 valves - just for their own sets..

Reference: 1004.

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