33 Facts About GUS plc

GUS plc was an FTSE 100 retailing, manufacturing and financial conglomerate based in the United Kingdom.

GUS plc started out as Universal Stores, a mail order business created by the Rose family.

GUS plc set up a chain of department stores in a joint venture with American businessman Charley Nicholls called New Universal Stores.

GUS plc was chairman from the late 1940s until his retirement in 1987.

Wolfson grew GUS plc by offering 'A' ordinary shares, which had no voting rights, or by selling the premises and leasing it back.

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GUS plc further expanded the mail order business during the 1960s by buying rivals Bollin House, Dyson and Horsfall and Chorlton Warehouse.

GUS plc expanded Halens catalogue into the Finnish market in 1997.

In 1957, GUS plc funded research by the Furniture Development Council into blooming caused by lacquers used on furniture products.

In 1985, GUS plc combined The Times Furnishing Group, and its remaining furniture businesses that had been consolidated under Cavendish-Woodhouse, and branded them under the Times name.

The business was making a loss and GUS plc took over management of the business in 1939, but sold it to British Home Stores in 1944.

GUS plc however did not pull out of this market, and went on a purchasing spree.

In 1958, GUS plc purchased Art Wallpapers, a chain of paint and wall covering stores.

Two years later GUS plc purchased the multiple retailer Morrisons Associated Companies, which included its subsidiaries, Ashley Russell; Audrey; Cliftons; Edgar Allen; Graftons; Irene Adair and Paige.

GUS plc expanded into European markets in 1972 by purchasing the French men's retailer 100,000 Chemises.

GUS plc developed its manufacturing businesses in the 1950s, with products including clothing, bedding, upholstery, textiles and pottery.

GUS plc acquired Argos in 1998 in a hostile takeover bid and the UK's second largest online retailer at the time, Jungle.

In 2001 the company changed its name to GUS plc using the identifier GUS on the London Stock Exchange.

GUS plc were put under pressure during the apartheid years regarding their investments, including pressure from Wolfson College, Oxford, which had been set up by a grant from the Wolfson Foundation.

In 1949, GUS plc applied to the UK government asking to extend their dollar facilities to £750,000 to invest in the US to increase the sale of British goods.

In 1954, GUS plc made an approach to purchase the US mail order and department store group Montgomery Ward with a plan to invest $100 million in the business, however the bid was rejected by Montgomery Ward's board.

GUS plc did set up Great Universal Stores Development Company Inc in 1964 to work with two American partners on property development, and in 1968 set up a new subsidiary, BRAMBEC, as a commercial furniture contractor for its manufacturing businesses, working in partnership with Holiday Inn.

In 1956, GUS plc purchased Global Tours, Europe's biggest coach tour company that had been formed by Harry Rosenthal, Joe and Harry Shuman adding Overland Tours later that year.

GUS plc added a further business to its Global subsidiary, Sunlight Holidays in 1962.

GUS plc however suffered from a blacklisting from Arab countries due to the company chairman being Lord Mancroft, and the companies links to Israel.

GUS plc invested in retail developments, including the 1985 development of St Nicholas Centre.

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GUS plc continued to invest in property by purchasing The Forge shopping centre in Glasgow from Arlington Retail for £35 million in 1993 and the Connswater Shopping Centre in Belfast for £23.

In 1997, GUS plc set up a joint company with British Land to manage the £900 million property portfolio held by GUS plc Property Management.

In 1980, GUS plc approached assistance from IBM, who recommended that they sold its products to others, thus the department became a separate organisation called Commercial Credit, which sold its products to organisations outside of the GUS plc group.

GUS plc merged the business with CCN and renamed the business Experian.

In 1997, GUS plc purchased US direct marketing company Direct Marketing Technology for $246 million.

GUS plc expanded into new markets by buying the Reality Group, a Web design, hosting and e-commerce consultancy business it had acquired for £35 million and merging it with its GUS Transport business, known as White Arrow, naming the combined business Reality.

GUS plc ranked as the highest-spending online advertiser in the US, according to Nielsen NetRatings, spending over $US659m in 2006.

GUS plc became a wholly owned subsidiary of Experian plc after the demerger and was renamed Experian Finance plc.