Duomatic Ltd

Duomatic Ltd was a domestic appliance manufacturer operational in the 1960s. In the late 1950s British entrepreneurs, such as the Electromatic company, started to import cheap washing machines from Holland to sell door-to-door and through newspaper adverts. By selling washers directly to customers from the factory, without the expense of running shops, they undercut the prices of high-street retailers. It was a profitable business, but in 1960 a group of Electromatic staff split to launch a rival washing machine company: Duomatic, who imported washing machines from the same factories in Holland as well as setting up their own factory in Romford, Essex. In addition to the factory, the company had branches in Droylsden, Manchester and Rutherglen, Lanarkshire.

Duomatic machines were priced at between 49 - 52 Guineas in 1960, cheaper than most other models, though many would have been paid for in instalments on hire-purchase. The company also promoted its "flying squad" of specialist engineers, who would repair their machines.

The company entered liquidation and was at the centre of a landmark court case in 1969, which is remembered in the principle of English Company law known as the "Duomatic Principle".