List of Richard Branson's business ventures

1960s

1966 - After failed attempts to grow and sell both Christmas trees and budgerigars, Branson launches his first successful business, a magazine named Student, the first issue of which appeared in January 1968

1970s

1970 - Starts selling records by mail-order
1971 - Opens his first record shop on Oxford Street
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as its most dense, and currently has approximately 300 shops. The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate,...
1972 - Opens a Virgin Recording Studio
1973 - Launches Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...

record label
1979 - Buys the gay nightclub Heaven
Heaven (nightclub)
Heaven is a Superclub in London, England which appeals predominantly to the gay market. It is located underneath Charing Cross railway station in Central London, just off Trafalgar Square.-Early history:...

, located under Charing Cross
Charing Cross
Charing Cross denotes the junction of Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in central London, England. It is named after the now demolished Eleanor cross that stood there, in what was once the hamlet of Charing. The site of the cross is now occupied by an equestrian...

railway station. It was eventually sold in 2003 to a private buyer.

1980s

1980 - Virgin Records goes international
1981 - Virgin buys the Kensington Roof Gardens
1983 - Virgin Vision, later to become Virgin Communications, is formed to distribute films and videos in the television and broadcasting sector.
1983 - Virgin Games
Virgin Interactive
Virgin Interactive was a British video game publisher. It was formed as Virgin Games Ltd. in 1981. The company became much larger after purchasing the budget label, Mastertronic in 1987. It was part of the Virgin Group...

is launched.
1984 - Virgin Atlantic Airways
Virgin Atlantic Airways
Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited is a British airline owned by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Singapore Airlines...

and Virgin cargo are launched.
1984 - Virgin Vision (launched the previous year) launches "Music Box
Music Box (TV)
Music Box Ltd. was a television production company that developed from a pioneering pan-European 24-hour cable and satellite channel that ran from March 1984 to 30 January 1987, originally one of three channels along with PREM1ERE and The Children's Channel, that formed Thorn EMI's venture into...

", a 24-hour satellite music station.
1985 - Virgin Group now includes record labels, retail outlets, exported music publishing, broadcasting, satellite television, and film and video distribution.
1985 - Branson starts Virgin Holidays
Virgin Holidays
Virgin Holidays Limited is a company within Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group, headquartered in "The Office" in Crawley, West Sussex. The company was formed in 1985, a year after the successful launch of Virgin Atlantic Airways in June 1984...
1987 - Branson takes Virgin Records to the United States
1987 - The Virgin Group, along with Granada
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....

, Anglia
Anglia Television
Anglia Television is the ITV franchise holder for the East Anglia franchise region. Although Anglia Television takes its name from East Anglia, its transmission coverage extends beyond the generally accepted boundaries of that region. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional...

and Pearson
Pearson PLC
Pearson plc is a global media and education company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is both the largest education company and the largest book publisher in the world, with consumer imprints including Penguin, Dorling Kindersley and Ladybird...

, founds BSB
British Satellite Broadcasting
British Satellite Broadcasting was a British television company which provided direct broadcast satellite television services to the United Kingdom...

(British Satellite Broadcasting) and receives a UK license to broadcast five new TV channels by satellite in the UK.
1987 - Virgin sets up 525, a post production facility in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, to work on high-end commercials and pop videos.
1987 - Virgin sets up "Music Box
Music Box (TV)
Music Box Ltd. was a television production company that developed from a pioneering pan-European 24-hour cable and satellite channel that ran from March 1984 to 30 January 1987, originally one of three channels along with PREM1ERE and The Children's Channel, that formed Thorn EMI's venture into...

" as an independent producer of music programmes.
1987 - Virgin buys a 45% stake in Mastertronic Group
Mastertronic
Mastertronic was originally a publisher and distributor of low-cost computer game software founded in 1983. Their first games were distributed in mid-1984. At its peak the label was the dominant software publisher in the UK, a position achieved by selling cassette-based software at the £1.99...

. Later Virgin Mastertronic becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Virgin Group, creating, marketing and distributing computer games software and Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...

consoles in several European countries.
1987 - Virgin buys Rushes Postproduction
Rushes (company)
Rushes Postproduction is a post-production and visual effects company based in London.It has a world wide reputation for producing commercial and pop-promo projects. The company was formed in 1977 and its staff have spawned many successful spin-offs, including , Main Frame, and...

in London.
1987 - Virgin launches Virgin Airship & Balloon Company.
1987 - Richard Branson launched Mates condoms in the UK to promote condoms to young adults
1988 - Virgin re-opens the recently acquired and re-modeled Olympic Studios
Olympic Studios
Olympic Studios was a renowned independent commercial recording studio located at 117 Church Road, Barnes, South West London, England. The studio is best known for the huge number of famous rock and pop recordings made there from the late 1960s onward....

in Barnes, London.
1988 - Virgin launches Virgin Classics, another Virgin international record label specializing in high-quality classical music.
1988 - Virgin sells some of its smaller UK retail stores and puts more money into Virgin Megastores, opening new stores both in the UK and abroad.
1988 - Virgin sets up Virgin Broadcasting.
1988 - Virgin sells its shareholding in BSB.

1990s

1990 - Virgin Megastores arrives in Japan
1991 - Virgin Publishing (Virgin Books) is formed
1992 - Virgin Records is sold to Thorn EMI
1993 - Virgin Radio hits the airwaves with Virgin 1215AM
1994 - Launch of Virgin Vodka and Virgin Cola
1995 - Virgin Direct Personal Financial Services opens for business
1995 - Virgin Express
Virgin Express
N.V. Virgin Express S.A. was an airline created within the Virgin Group. It operated flights mainly to southern Europe from its hub at Brussels Airport. Ticket sales were mainly through the Internet...

a European low cost Airline is launched in Brussels after the purchase and rebranding of EBA Express
1996 - V2 Music is created
1996 - Virgin.Net launches
1996 - Virgin Brides
Virgin Brides
Virgin Brides was a company specialising in weddings and bridal wear. It was part of the Virgin Group, and was founded in 1996.For the launch of the store, Sir Richard Branson shaved his beard and wore a wedding dress....

launches
1996 - Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...

is launched
1996 - Virgin Group becomes majority shareholders in London Broncos rugby league team
1997 - Virgin Radio is acquired by Chris Evans
1997 - Virgin Cosmetics launches
1998 - Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile is a brand used by many mobile phone service providers across the globe; its headquarters are based in the United Kingdom. Virgin Mobile has local operations in Australia, Canada, France, India, South Africa, Greece, United Kingdom and the United States. It briefly also had operations...

launches Virgin's first telecoms venture
1999 - Virgin Active
Virgin Active
Virgin Active is a chain of health clubs in South Africa, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Australia and the United Kingdom. The company launched in 1998 in Preston, Lancashire as part of Richard Branson's Virgin Group....

Launches in South Africa, UK and Italy
1999 - Majority shareholders in London Broncos is sold to David Hughes

2000s

2000 - Virgin launches Australian airline Virgin Blue (now called Virgin Australia)
2000 - Virgin sells Rushes Postproduction
Rushes (company)
Rushes Postproduction is a post-production and visual effects company based in London.It has a world wide reputation for producing commercial and pop-promo projects. The company was formed in 1977 and its staff have spawned many successful spin-offs, including , Main Frame, and...

to Ascent Media
Ascent Media
Ascent Media Corporation is a holding public company whose primary subsidiary is Ascent Media Group, LLC. Ascent Media Group is a Delaware limited liability company , which provides creative and technical services to the media and entertainment industries. Ascent Media was a wholly owned...

- then Liberty Livewire
2000 - Virgin launches Virgin Energy
2000 - Virgin launches Virgin Cars
Virgin Cars
Virgin Cars Ltd was an Internet automobile retailer started by British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson and co-founded by Ian Lancaster in May 2000 as part of the Virgin brand of companies...
2004 - Virgin launches Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic
Virgin Galactic is a company within Richard Branson's Virgin Group which plans to provide sub-orbital spaceflights to the paying public, along with suborbital space science missions and orbital launches of small satellites...
2005 - Virgin Express merges with Sn Brussels Airlines to form Brussels Airlines
Brussels Airlines
Brussels Airlines is a flag carrier airline headquartered in the b.house on the grounds of Brussels Airport and in Diegem, Machelen, Belgium and a subsidiary of Lufthansa. It is the largest airline based in Belgium, operating to over 65 destinations in 20 European countries as well as long-haul...

. Virgin retains minority share.
2005 - Virgin Active
Virgin Active
Virgin Active is a chain of health clubs in South Africa, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Australia and the United Kingdom. The company launched in 1998 in Preston, Lancashire as part of Richard Branson's Virgin Group....

UK acquires Holmes Place
2006 - Virgin announces Virgin Fuel, a new company to produce a clean fuel in the future
2006 - Virgin Active
Virgin Active
Virgin Active is a chain of health clubs in South Africa, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Australia and the United Kingdom. The company launched in 1998 in Preston, Lancashire as part of Richard Branson's Virgin Group....

Spain is Launched
2007 - Virgin Active
Virgin Active
Virgin Active is a chain of health clubs in South Africa, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Australia and the United Kingdom. The company launched in 1998 in Preston, Lancashire as part of Richard Branson's Virgin Group....

Portugal is Launched
2007 - Virgin launches Virgin Health Bank
Virgin Health Bank
Virgin Health Bank is a transplant quality cord blood stem cell bank that uniquely combines high quality services with educational initiatives for families and the medical community....
2007 - Virgin launches Virgin Media
Virgin Media
Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
2007 - Virgin launches Virgin America
Virgin America
Virgin America, Inc. is a United States-based low-cost airline that began service on August 8, 2007. The airline's stated aim is to provide low-fare, high-quality service for "long-haul point-to-point service between major metropolitan cities on the Eastern and West Coast seaboards." San Francisco...
2007 - Buys 20% stakes in AirAsia X
AirAsia X
AirAsia X is a long-haul, budget airline based in Malaysia. The airline is operated by AirAsia X Sdn. Bhd. . It commenced operations on 2 November 2007. Its first service flew from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia, to Gold Coast Airport in Australia...
2007 - Sells Virgin Megastore
Virgin Megastore
Virgin Megastores is an international chain of record shops, founded by Sir Richard Branson on London's Oxford Street in early 1971. Virgin Megastores are best described today as entertainment retailers....

in the UK and Ireland
2007 - Virgin Media Television Launchs Virgin 1
Virgin 1
Channel One was a television channel owned and operated by British Sky Broadcasting. The channel was launched on 1 October 2007 at 21:00 on Freeview, Virgin Media and Sky as Virgin1, replacing Ftn...
2007 - Closes Virgin Digital
Virgin Digital
Virgin Digital was an online music store operated in the United Kingdom and United States by the Virgin Group. It launched on 2 September 2005 in the UK, and was refreshed in November 2006 to run through an internet browser, rather than the former Virgin Digital Player...

in the UK (Virgin now sells music downloads through Virgin Media's website)
2007 - Virgin Fuel US$400 million in Virgin Atlantic jet flight on biofuel
Biofuel
Biofuel is a type of fuel whose energy is derived from biological carbon fixation. Biofuels include fuels derived from biomass conversion, as well as solid biomass, liquid fuels and various biogases...

s and in renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...

.
2007 - Virgin Money
Virgin Money
Virgin Money is a UK-based financial services company owned by the Virgin Group and founded by Sir Richard Branson in March 1995. It was originally known as Virgin Direct, and pioneered index tracking by launching a value Personal Equity Plan into the market. In the 2000s Virgin Money expanded its...

becomes preferred bidder for acquisition of Northern Rock
Northern Rock
Northern Rock plc is a British bank, best known for becoming the first bank in 150 years to suffer a bank run after having had to approach the Bank of England for a loan facility, to replace money market funding, during the credit crisis in 2007. Having failed to find a commercial buyer for...

(but is ultimately unsuccessful).
2007 - Virgin Radio Italia
Virgin Radio Italia
Virgin Radio Italia is a music-based Italian radio station, which started nationwide broadcasting on 12 July 2007 at 12:00 AM...

launches in Italy in joint venture with Gruppo Finelco
RCS MediaGroup
RCS MediaGroup S.p.A. , based in Milan and listed on the Italian Stock Exchange, is an international multimedia publishing group that operates in daily newspapers, magazines and books, radio broadcasting, new media and digital and satellite TV...

S.p.A.
2008 - Virgin Australia Airlines offers competitive prices between Australia and Los Angeles. Known as V Australia due to naming rights.
2008 - Virgin launches Virgin Healthcare
2009 - Virgin launches Virgin Money Giving

2010s

2010 - Virgin launches Virgin Racing
Virgin Racing
Marussia Virgin Racing, the trading name of Virgin Racing Limited, is a Russian owned Formula One racing team based in the United Kingdom and racing on a Russian licence, which made its debut in the 2010 Formula One season. It was granted entry as Manor Grand Prix on 12 June 2009, as one of four...

, a Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...

team previously known as Manor Grand Prix
2010 - Virgin launches Virgin Gaming, a service for people of all skill levels to play competitively on popular Video Games.
2010 - Virgin launches Virgin Produced
Virgin Produced
Virgin Produced is the film and television production division of the Virgin Group. The Chief Executive Officer is Jason Felts and Chief Creative Officer is Justin Berfield.The company was formed in 2010....

, a film and television development, packaging and production company based in Los Angeles, California.
2010 - Virgin launches Project, a digital magazine created exclusively for Apple, Inc's iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...

.

External links

Virgin Corporate Website
virginbrand.com Unofficial blog of the Virgin Group
International Rescue Corps
Gonzo Way of Branding Fast Company magazine article on Sir Richard Branson
Is the US Virgin territory? Jane's Transport Finance
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI)
International Ballooning Commission (CIA) notable flights
Svenska Ballongfederationen, Pacific ocean flights
Profile on BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...

dated September 27, 2004
Mates History "Richard Branson launched Mates condoms in the UK in 1987 to promote condoms to young adults"
Video Interview on CBC News: The Hour
CBC News: The Hour
George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight is a Canadian television talk show broadcast on CBC Television and hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos. Originally known as The Hour from 2005 to 2010, it first aired on January 17, 2005. The program is currently initially broadcast on CBC Television at 11:05 p.m....

dated November 21, 2005
AskMen.com feature on Richard Branson - includes pics, pictures, biography, video, related news, vital stats, and commentary.

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

See also

External links