[3] It was a national chain that provided home electronics, domestic appliances, household furniture, other related products on a hire purchase agreements.

[18] BrightHouse previously stocked brands that included Samsung, Sony, Philips, Acer, LG, Nintendo, Baird, Whirlpool, Beko, BlackBerry and Nokia.

An investigation by the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme in 2016 cited an example of a washing machine costing £358, with a £55 delivery and installation charge and compulsory £136 warranty.

[20] Some sources suggested Brighthouse made it impossible to compare prices,[21] though ex-chief executive Leo McKee (current Hamish Paton)[22] said the retailer benefitted through a "really obsessive" approach to customer service, with "aspirational products at very competitive prices", claiming that though an active comparison is not obvious, it actively compared with other retail competitors; The Co-operative and Amazon.com.

According to Parliamentary group chair Yvonne Fovargue, "Rent-to-own stores like BrightHouse charge inflated prices to some of the poorest people in the country.

BrightHouse chief executive Leo Mckee defended the company, saying that "We are proud to serve our customer base of lower income families.

"[32] In 2016 former Labour Party leader Ed Miliband joined a campaign against BrightHouse in his Doncaster constituency, begun by South Yorkshire Credit Union and its CEO Murdo Macleod.

Miliband accused the company of trying to "fleece" customers with expensive insurance and of harassing people who fall behind on their payments, and urged the public to use a local credit union instead.

According to Private Eye, interest of £76m owed to a Luxembourg-registered subsidiary of BrightHouse's then owners Vision Capital had significantly reduced taxable profits.

In addition, records showed BrightHouse's '5 star' insurance to be operated through a sister company based in Malta, where tax on profits would in effect be no more than 5 per cent under Maltese law.

[35] In 2017, The Guardian disclosed details from the Paradise Papers that Queen Elizabeth II had invested some money in the company over a 12-year period via the Duchy of Lancaster.