to its own shareholders. In October the Wehkamp business was sold to Swedish investment company Industri Kapital for 390 million euros, selling the last remnant of the companies mail order business. The Burberry demerger was completed in December 2005. GUS plc ranked as the highest-spending online advertiser in the US, according to Nielsen NetRatings, spending over $US659m in 2006. The next-ranked online advertiser, Vonage, had sales of just over $US294m. On 28 March 2006, it was announced that the company would split into two separate businesses, Home Retail Group and Experian, with both companies listed separately on the London Stock Exchange as of 11 October 2006. GUS plc became a wholly owned subsidiary of Experian plc after the demerger and was renamed Experian Finance plc. Operations pre 1998 Mail order catalogues in United Kingdom Great Universal John England (1933) Marshall Ward (1936) Kay & Co. Purchased 1937. Trafford Warehouse purchased 1938 Samuel Driver purchased 1938 Morses purchased 1947 The Royal Welsh Warehouse purchased 1954 Bollin House purchased 1961 Dyson and Horsfall purchased 1962 Chorlton Warehouse purchased 1963 John Noble purchased 1971 Greenbank and Meridien purchased 1976 All Yours, Wigfalls at Home and Choice Mail Order purchased 1977 John Myers purchased 1981 Innovations purchased 1997 McCord's Mail order catalogues in Europe Wehkamp (Holland) purchased 1962. Universal Versand (Austria) purchased 1968 Hallens I. Barrasford (Sweden) purchased 1966 Verdia (Switzerland) purchased 1982 Family Album (Republic of Ireland) Celtic Hampers (Republic of Ireland) purchased 1998 Department stores in the United Kingdom and Ireland New Universal Stores - chain of 10 department stores, renamed Hills & Steele in 1939 before being sold to British Home Stores in 1944. Leslie Stores and subsidiaries purchased 1940: John Dyer (Southsea) Ben Evans (Swansea) London House (Newport) Bainbridges (Lincoln, Lincolnshire & Wisbech) purchased in 1949 J Robb & Co (Belfast) Purchased in 1951. Closed in 1973. Attwoods (Kidderminster) bought by Kay & Co. in the 1950s. Bladons (Hull) purchased 1954. Jones & Higgins (Peckham) acquired in 1954. Closed in 1980, before re-opening as the Houndsditch before closing in 1984. Pim Brothers (Dublin) purchased 1955 Darling & Co. (Edinburgh) purchased in 1955. Bought by House of Fraser in January 1961. Houndsditch Warehouse (Houndsditch, London) purchased in 1958. Closed in 1986. Beavans (Byker) bought in 1964. Butterfield and Massies (Barnsley) Webbers (Maidenhead) Wickhams (London) Pyne Brothers (London) Department stores outside the United Kingdom Whiteaway, Laidlaw & Co. purchased 1957. Operating stores