Dabs.com may now be one of the UK's largest online electronics retailers,
but it wasn't always like this. The original Dabs group (before we added the .com) was founded in 1987 by two
enterprising young men, and friends: entrepreneur David Atherton
(DA) and writer Bruce Smith (BS). Together, Dave and Bruce launched
Dabs Press, a publisher of technology books specialising in 'how to'
guides for an increasingly technology-focussed world. Three years
later, despite an enduring friendship, the two went their separate
ways, leaving David in 100% control of Dabs.
From starting out helping people understand technology, David saw
it as a natural progression to start selling the technology itself,
and it was only a matter of time before Dabs Direct was established. Launched in 1990, Dabs Direct was the offline (ah, remember mail order?) predecessor to
the online enterprise you know and love today.