Citizendia

GUS plc
Image:GUS plc logo.gif
Fate Split-up/Sold Off
Part merged with Littlewoods
Successor Home Retail Group/Littlewoods Shop Direct Group
Founded 1900 as Universal Stores
Defunct October 10, 2006
Location London, England
Industry Conglomerate
Products Mail order/Conglomerate
Key people Sir Victor Blank (Chairman),
Terry Duddy (ARG Chief Exec)
Peak size 54,926 employees
Subsidiary Argos Retail Group
Experian

GUS plc (LSE: GUS) was a FTSE 100 retailing group based in the United Kingdom. Littlewoods is the name of a former retail and gambling empire founded in Liverpool, Merseyside, England by Sir John Moores. Home Retail Group plc ( is a Holding company for the UK and Republic of Ireland retailers Argos and Homebase. Shop Direct Group (or until May 2008 Littlewoods Shop Direct Group; LSDG; or LWSDG) is a British retail Limited London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A conglomerate is a large Company that consists of seemingly unrelated Business sections Mail order is a term which describes the Buying of goods or services by Mail delivery A conglomerate is a large Company that consists of seemingly unrelated Business sections Home Retail Group plc ( is a Holding company for the UK and Republic of Ireland retailers Argos and Homebase. Experian plc ( formerly known as CCN Systems is a global credit information group with operations in 36 countries The London Stock Exchange or LSE is a Stock exchange located in London, England. The FTSE 100 Index (ˈfʊtsiː footsie, abbreviated Financial Times Stock Exchange Index) is a Share index of the 100 most highly capitalised GUS is an abbreviation of Great Universal Stores, the company's former name before 2001. On 10 October 2006, the company was split into two separate companies. Events 680 - Battle of Karbala: Shia Imam Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is decapitated Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

The company had two main divisions including:

In the year ended 31 March 2005, GUS had sales of £7. Experian plc ( formerly known as CCN Systems is a global credit information group with operations in 36 countries 8 billion and profits (before goodwill, exceptional items and taxation) of £910 million.

History

Universal Stores was founded in 1900 as a mail order business in Manchester, England, by Abraham and George Rose. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland In 1930, the company changed its name to The Great Universal Stores Limited. The next year it was listed on the London Stock Exchange. The London Stock Exchange or LSE is a Stock exchange located in London, England. At this stage, it was the leading mail order business in the UK. Mail order is a term which describes the Buying of goods or services by Mail delivery The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

In 1932, Isaac Wolfson joined the company as merchandise controller. Sir Isaac Wolfson 1st Baronet FRS ( September 17, 1897 &ndash June 20, 1991) was a businessman and philanthropist He became joint managing director in the same year. He was Chairman from the late 1940s until his retirement in 1987. Through his wealth gained at Great Universal Stores, he established the Wolfson Foundation in 1955. His son, Leonard Wolfson, followed him as Chairman, to be succeeded by David Wolfson (1996–2000). Leonard Gordon Wolfson Baron Wolfson (born 11 November 1927) is a British Businessman, the former Chairman of GUS, and son of GUS David Wolfson Baron Wolfson of Sunningdale (born 9 November 1935) is a British politician and businessman

In 2001 the company changed its name to GUS plc.

In 2004, the company sold its traditional home shopping (catalogues) division to the Barclay twins, who merged it into their Littlewoods business. Sir David Barclay and Sir Frederick Barclay (both born on 27 October, 1934) are British Businessmen. Littlewoods is the name of a former retail and gambling empire founded in Liverpool, Merseyside, England by Sir John Moores. This included the iconic Great Universal Stores catalogue, from which the company took its name, and completed the departure of GUS from its original business areas. Around the same time, the Barclays announced the closure of the Littlewoods Index retail chain, the principal rival to Argos in the UK, selling around 35 stores to Argos. Index was a catalogue retailer in the United Kingdom, purchased by rival Argos in 2005 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

In May 2005, it announced that it would divest its stake in Burberry by distributing Burberry shares to its own shareholders. Burberry ( is a British luxury fashion house manufacturing Clothing and fashion accessories. It also stated that it planned to demerge Experian from the retail businesses in the future, but wished to retain Experian for a further period to invest in building up the business first.

On 24 March 2006, Gus announced that it had divested its full shareholding in Burberry. Events 1401 - Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus. 1603 - James VI of Scotland Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. On 28 March 2006, it was announced that the Home Retail Group would be split from the Experian division, with both companies listed separately on the LSE as of 11 October 2006. Events 37 - Roman Emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, entitled to him by the Senate. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1138 - A massive earthquake struck Aleppo, Syria. 1531 - Huldrych Zwingli is killed Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. This effectively means the end of the GUS conglomerate, which has been de-listed now its shares have been split between the two divisions. There will also be 10-15% new equity issued in Experian. Now the Home Retail Group head office is located in Milton Keynes central business district. Milton Keynes ( ˌmɪltənˈkiːnz often abbreviated to MK, is a large town Experian Group, incorporated in Jersey, is located in Nottingham and in London. The Bailiwick of Jersey ( Jèrriais: Jèrri) is a British Crown dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. Nottingham ( is a city in the Ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. GUS plc became a wholly owned subsidiary of Experian Group after the demerger and was renamed to Experian Finance plc.

GUS plc ranked as the highest-spending online advertiser in the US, according to Nielson NetRatings, spending over $659m in 2006. Interestingly, the next-ranked online advertiser, Vonage, was a distant second at just over $294m. Vonage ( (ˈvɑːnɪdʒ is a publicly-held commercial Voice over IP (VoIP network and SIP company that provides Telephone service

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