Great Universal Stores
of Devonshire Street, Manchester.
1900 Founded as a mail-order business in Manchester, England by Abraham, George and Jack Rose.
1917 Incorporated as a Limited Company
1933 Acquired John England.
1936 Acquired Marshall Ward.
1936 Sir Archibald Mitchelson was appointed chairman[1]
1937 Acquired Kay and Co.
1945 Acquired Tyne Plywood Works[2] and British and Colonial Furniture Co.[3]
1952 Acquired a large interest in Lotus (Shoemakers) and later a further holding was bought by the Wolfson Foundation[4]
1954 Acquired Pryce Jones.
1963 Acquired S. Miller (Manchester), owner of Chorlton Warehouses mail order business.[5]
1965 Acquired Bollington Textile Printers.[6]
1972 the holding in Lotus was sold
1972 Acquired A. and S. Henry and Co.