Gadgets, Games, Gifts
What is Firebox.com?
Firebox is one of the UK's leading multi-channel retailers and specialises in the retail, marketing and manufacture of a highly select range of new and innovative products.
The world is full of boring products... At Firebox we try to do things a little differently. We search high and low for things with a twist. Products that are inspirational, quirky, bizarre and downright fun.
From Las Vegas to Los Alamos, Tokyo to Tashkent, we scour the world looking for the 'next big thing', then make it available through our award-winning website and mail order catalogue.
...The idea being that you'll find products at Firebox long before they make it to the mass market. It is our mission to always be first with the latest hot stuff.
How did all this happen?
Firebox.com began life in early 1998 as hotbox.co.uk, an internet retailer founded by university friends Michael Smith and Tom Boardman. Operating out of Cardiff, the company saw rapid initial growth due to the huge success of Michael and Tom's (much-imitated) invention, the Shot Glass Chess Set. In the Summer of 1999 the company moved to London and relaunched as Firebox.com. In 2002 the company opened its first combined Head Office and Distribution Centre located in South London.
Initially a "pure-play" Internet only business, Firebox has successfully moved into the Mail Order, Corporate and Wholesale/Trade sectors:
Website - The Firebox.com website attracted over 7m visits in 2006 and served 42m page impressions
(source: Nielsen//NetRatings Traffic Audit);
Email Newsletter - sent fortnightly to over 600,000 recipients;
Catalogue - Published several times a year with an annual circulation exceeding 7m copies
Corporate - Firebox has provided corporates such as Yahoo, Oracle, Five, Siemens and Abbey National with innovative solutions for incentives and promotions
Wholesale - Firebox provides a range of branded products to retailers looking to expand their range with our exciting and exclusive product lines.
...and along the way we have grown rapidly from the initial partnership of the two founders to a core team of over 24 staff. In 2004 the business turned over £8m and has been profitable since 2002.
In fact, our growth has been so spectacular that in late 2004 Firebox was listed by the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 as the 13th fastest growing privately owned business in the UK.
Firebox on TV
A BBC film crew tracked the early days of the Firebox.com's history in a documentary broadcast in July, 2000. Click here to watch a streamed version of this TV documentary direct from the BBC website.
(RealPlayer required to view - click here to download).
Firebox on the Internet
BBC News: "Dotcoms Bounce Back" - click here
Real Business: "The Perfect Dotcom" - click here
Revolution Magazine: "Firebox signs equity deal with Channel 5" - click here
Revolution Magazine: "Firebox makes high street debut" - click here
7 Steps to Setting Up Your Own Business - click here
BBC News: "E-tailers get their just e-wards" - click here
gadgets boys toys tech toys lifestyle audio edible retro games work:play party gifts experiences
1 PicoZ Micro Helicopter
Mini Zee
£19.95
2 USB Cassette Deck
Rediscover the soundtrack to your youth
£99.95
3 PicoZ Sky Challenger Battle Pack
Help! I'm going down!
£49.95
4 USB Turntable
A new spin on vinyl
From £89.95
5 My Monopoly
This time it's personal
£79.95
6 Palm Z Micro Plane £17.95
7 Voodoo Knife Block From £59.95
8 Cube World From £14.95
9 Stylophone Original £14.95
10 Retro iPod Alarm Clock £39.95
11 Digital Photo Frame From £69.95
12 Micro Mosquito Helicopter £49.95
13 Mood Beams From £9.95
14 T-Equaliser £19.95
15 UBFunkeys From £4.95
16 Wild Hibiscus Flowers £9.95
17 FreeLoader Solar Charger £29.95
18 Tangent Quattro WiFi Alarm Radio From £179.95
19 Beer Bottle Goblets £12.95
20 Shinco Portable DVD Player From £89.95
Featured Products
PicoZ Micro Helicopter
Now only £19.95!
Pilot a chopper indoors without demolishing the gaff via this palm-sized IR helicopter. Mega-manoeuvrable, the rechargeable PicoZ is a doddle to fly, even if you're an aeronautical dunderhead. more...
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USB Cassette Deck
Convert your old audio cassettes into MP3s with this USB-friendly double tape deck. Completely idiot-proof, it's the ideal way to fast forward into the future and rediscover all your ancient recordings. more...
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Stylophone Original
Looking for a fine whine? Better iron your flares because the Stylophone is back, and this bonkers electronic organ is just as entertaining as you remember. Skweeeal! more...
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USB Turntable
Pining for your vinyl? Now you can transfer your record collection directly on to your computer (MP3 or even CD) with this nifty little USB turntable. All right? Not 'arf! more...
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UBFunkeys
UK First!
Connect these ultra-collectable USB-friendly art toys to your computer and you can explore Funkeytown, a virtual world of games, puzzles, prizes and more. more...
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Palm Z Micro Plane
Who needs open spaces when you can pilot a highly manoeuvrable aircraft indoors? The Palm Z allows you to do exactly that without even getting off the sofa! more...
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Mood Beams
Chilled-out lighting meets cute, collectable companion in the shape of this adorable little battery-operated critter that cycles through a spectrum of enchanting colours. more...
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Desktop Warfare Kits
Get medieval or even Roman on thine workmates with these working Trebuchet and Ballista kits. Once assembled they will lob your projectile of choice in a seriously authentic fashion. Look out...incoming boiled sweet! more...
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Dippy Egg Set
Who says you can't boil eggs in the microwave or slice perfect soldiers in seconds? Not us because this cooker/cutter combo allows you to do eggsactly that. more...
T3 Awards - Best Retailer!
WOO HOO!!! We've just come back from the T3 Awards where we picked up the gong for Best Retailer (beating Amazon, John Lewis and Dixons). So thank you to all the dedicated Fireboxers who voted for us. You're GREAT! Click here to read what they said about us.
WIN a Sony Bravia LCD television!
To celebrate Hostel: Part II being available on DVD from the 22nd of October, we're giving you the chance to win a Sony Bravia LCD television in our latest competition! enter...
Photo of the week - WIN £50!
Ben from Devon sent in this photo of his Echo Bot hiding in his fridge, making sure nobody touches the strawberry jelly. Freeze buster! more...
Video of the week - WIN £50!
Richard from Bath sent in this video of his Micro Mosquito Helicopter. He gives it a great review and a quick demonstration. What a flying success! more...
I Want It All!
If only there was a simple way to see all the products at Firebox.com on one page? Actually, there is. more...
We're recruiting!
We're currently looking for talented people to join our rapidly expanding Marketing team. If you think you have what it takes we'd love to hear from you. more...
Be First with Firebox
You can rely on Firebox to bring you the latest hot products well ahead of the high street. Click here for a selection of the latest products seen first here at Firebox...more...
Suggest Stuff
Seen an amazing new product on your travels that you think we should be selling? We'd love to hear about it! In fact, if it's new to us, it passes our stringent quality control and makes it onto the site we'll give you £100 to spend at Firebox! more...
Corporate & Trade Enquiries
Persuade your boss to use Firebox products and gift vouchers in your company:
• Corporate gifts
• Sales promotions
• Incentive schemes
• Competition prizes
• Retail trade
more...
Competition Winners
We regularly give away cool stuff to our website visitors - click here to see some of the winners.
13 Amp Fuse Light
Honey, I've blown up a fuse £69.95
Money Monster
'Mmm...jingle-jingle in my belly!' £19.95
Periodic Table Shower Curtain
Wash and learn £17.95
Chocolate Shooters
Down in one...well, two £7.95
Freaky Body Illusions
What the...How the...Eurgh! £34.95
Chalenj!
Anything you can do... £24.95
Moshi Monster Mopods
Monstrously cute £4.95
Hotel Las Vegas Edition
Nothin' goin' on but the rent £19.95
MyCuppa Mugs
A lighter shade of pale? £7.95
Skull Mug
It's out of its head! £5.95