purchased 1953 and subsidiaries: Dacca Mills Lintex Vyse Sons & Co Stapley & Smith Victoria Mill purchased 1954. Burberry purchased 1955. Polikoff (clothing) JF Willis (Cinderella Shoes) purchased 1960 Universal Furniture Products Gill & Reigate Joseph Johnstone Northern Bedding Commercial Plastics Ltd W.C. Grace & Sons (Carpets) John Woodrow & Sons (Silk Goods) Joseph Johnson of Lichwinnoch (Furniture) T.G. Hunt & Sons (Footwear) Munn and Felton (Footwear) Barretts of Staffordshire (Pottery) Sherrion (Hosiery and Knitwear) Greenlees & Sons (Footwear) Scottish Textile & Manufacturing Company purchased 1965 Bollington Textile Printers David Hollander & Sons Ltd (Silver plated goods) purchased 1970 Rank Bush Murphy purchased 1978 Hobbies (Dolls furniture maker) closed 1968 Pantherella plc purchased 1987 (high end sock brand) Finance and credit data business All Counties Insurance Company General Guarantee for Finance Highway Vehicle Management purchased 1997 Whiteaway Laidlaw Bank CCN (Commercial Credit Nottingham) Manchester Guardian Society for the Protection of Trade purchased 1984. TRW Information Systems and Services Inc (Thompson Ramo Woolridge) purchased 1996 Direct Marketing Technology Metromail purchased 1998 Printing and Photography business Ebenezer Baylis GT Cheshires & Sons Carlton Studios sold 1973 Property Management and Development Great Universal Stores Development Company Inc. BL Universal Operations 1998 onwards The company had three main divisions: ARG – The Argos Retail Group, subsequently demerged to become Home Retail Group, which consisted of several subdivisions, including Argos (previously an independent company, once owned by British American Tobacco) – the UK's largest catalogue retailer Homebase (formerly owned and founded by J Sainsbury) – a DIY (home improvement) retailer ARG Financial Services – provider of store card services, such as the Argos Card and Argos insurance products. Reality Group - merger of GUS Transport business, known as White Arrow, and Reality Group, a Web design, hosting and e-commerce consultancy business it had acquired for £35 million. Breathe.com - Internet service provider purchased in 2001, selling it three months later. Experian – a credit reporting agency See also Wolfson family References Further reading Great Universal Stores, 25 years of progress: 1932 The Growth and Activities of the Great Universal Stores Limited under the direction of Mr. Isaac Wolfson. London, 1957 Companies formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange Retail companies based in London Defunct retail companies of the United Kingdom Retail companies disestablished in 2006 1900 establishments in England Retail companies established in 1900 British companies established in 1900