shares in Empire was sold to a Dutch company, Vendex, with GUS retaining a 12% holding. UK operations were grown in 1997 with the purchase of most of Arcadia Group's catalogue business, which included the catalogues Innovations and McCord. European mail order catalogues growth From the 1960s, GUS grew its presence on continental Europe. This started with the purchase of the Wehkamp mail order business based in Holland. This was increased by Swedish catalogue Hallens I. Barrasford which was purchased in 1966 and the Austrian mail order firm Universal Versand in 1968. The last purchase was Verdia in Switzerland, which was purchased in 1982 The Wehkamp catalogue was expanded by its parent company, GUS Holland BV, by purchasing smaller Dutch rival Bertels in 1970, moving into the Belgium and Germany markets and offering separate catalogues selling everything from flower bulbs to furniture and holding a third of the mail order market in Holland. GUS expanded Halens catalogue into the Finnish market in 1997. Furniture business growth In 1934, Great Universal started to grow its furniture business by purchasing the Midland and Hackney chains. This was followed in 1943 by the purchase of the Jays and Campbell chains for £1.2 million from its owner Sir Julien Cahn, and British and Colonial Furniture Company in 1945, along with its Cavendish, Woodhouse and Dale chains for £1 million and the manufacturing business of Tyne Plywood Works. Smart Brothers furniture chain was added in 1948 for a further £1 million. In 1946, a Working Party report stated its concerns about GUS purchases: They continued to buy furniture stores, with Oetzmann & Co. purchased in 1954, Godfrey and James Broderick stores added. The biggest name purchased was Waring & Gillows in 1953, however a large share of the business was sold to rival furniture chain "John Peters", run by Manny Cussins for cash and shares in 1960. During 1955, GUS furniture factories were hit by the UK government's restrictions to hire purchase, with Tyne Furniture Works, one of Europe's biggest furniture factory's, having to go on short time due to the fall in orders. In 1957, GUS funded research by the Furniture Development Council into blooming caused by lacquers used on furniture products. In 1968, GUS purchased the combined furniture and menswear group Times-Willerby, adding The Times Furnishing Company to its furniture retail portfolio, while also purchasing the Welsh-based furniture retailer S. Aston & Sons