Timeline 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 appearing in January 1968. Branson's net worth was estimated at £50,000 by 1969.

1970s

• 1970 – Start selling records by mail-order
• 1971 – Opens his first record shop on Oxford Street
• 1972 – Opens a Virgin Recording Studio
• 1973 – Launches Virgin Records record label
• 1979 – Buys the gay nightclub Heaven, located under Charing Cross railway station. It was sold in 2003 to a private buyer. Branson's net worth was estimated at £5 million by 1979.

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 is launched.
• 1984 – Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Cargo are launched.
• 1984 – Virgin Vision (launched the previous year) launches "Music Box", 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
• 1987 – Branson takes Virgin Records to the United States
• 1987 – The Virgin Group, along with Granada, Anglia and Pearson, founds British Satellite Broadcasting and receives a UK licence to broadcast five new TV channels by satellite in the UK.
• 1987 – Virgin sets up 525, a post production facility in Los Angeles, to work on high-end commercials and pop videos.
• 1987 – Virgin sets up "Music Box" as an independent producer of music programmes.
• 1987 – Virgin buys a 45% stake in Mastertronic Group. Later Virgin Mastertronic becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Virgin Group, creating, marketing and distributing computer games software and Sega consoles in several European countries.
• 1987 – Virgin buys Rushes Postproduction in London.
• 1987 – Virgin launches Virgin Airship & Balloon Company.
• 1987 – Richard Branson launches Mates condoms in the UK to promote condoms to young adults
• 1988 – Virgin re-opens the recently acquired and re-modelled Olympic Studios 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 British Satellite Broadcasting.

1990s

• 1990 – Virgin arrives in Japan
• 1991 – Virgin Publishing (Virgin Books) is formed
• 1992 – Virgin Records is sold to Thorn EMI
• 1993 - Virgin Vision is bought by PolyGram for $5.6 million
• 1993 – Virgin Radio hits the airwaves with Virgin 1215AM
• 1994 – Launch of Virgin Vodka and Virgin Cola
• 1995 - Discretely invests in AirTicketsDirect
• 1995 – Virgin Direct Personal Financial Services opens for business
• 1995 – Virgin Express 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 launches
• 1996 – Virgin Group becomes majority shareholders in London Broncos rugby league team
• 1997 – Virgin CrossCountry and Virgin Trains West Coast commence operations
• 1997 – Majority shareholding in Virgin Radio is sold to Chris Evans
• 1997 – Virgin Cosmetics launches
• 1998 – 49% stake in Virgin Rail Group sold to Stagecoach Group
• 1999 – Virgin Mobile launches Virgin's first telecoms venture
• 1999 – Virgin Active launches in South Africa, UK and Italy
• 1999 – Majority shareholding in London Broncos is sold to David Hughes
• 1999 – 49% shareholding in Virgin Atlantic sold to Singapore Airlines

2000s

• 2000 – Virgin launches Australian airline Virgin Blue (now called Virgin Australia)
• 2000 – Virgin sells Rushes Postproduction to Ascent Media – then Liberty Livewire
• 2000 – Virgin launches Virgin Energy
• 2000 – Virgin launches Virgin Cars
• 2002 - Virgin Interactive Espania SA splits from Virgin Interactive and re-brands as Virgin Play
• 2004 – Virgin launches Virgin Galactic
• 2005 – Virgin Express merges with Sn Brussels Airlines to form Brussels Airlines. Virgin retains minority share.
• 2005 – Virgin Active UK acquires Holmes Place
• 2006 – Virgin announces Virgin Fuel, a new company to produce a clean fuel in the future
• 2006 – Virgin Active Spain is Launched
• 2007 – Virgin Active Portugal is Launched
• 2007 – Virgin launches Virgin Health Bank
• 2007 – Virgin launches Virgin Media
• 2007 – Virgin launches Virgin America
• 2007 – Virgin buys 20% stakes in AirAsia X
• 2007 – Sells Virgin Megastore in the UK and Ireland to Zavvi
• 2007 – Virgin Media Television Launches Virgin 1
• 2007 – Closes Virgin Digital 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 biofuels and in renewable energy.
• 2007 – Virgin Money becomes preferred bidder for acquisition of Northern Rock (and is eventually successful).
• 2007 – Virgin Radio Italia launches in Italy in joint venture with Finelco.
• 2007 – Virgin CrossCountry ceases after franchise lost to Arriva CrossCountry
• 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, a Formula One 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, 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.
• 2010 – Virgin Money buys Church House Trust
• 2012 – Virgin Money buys Northern Rock
• 2012 – Virgin Galactic announces the development of orbital space launch system LauncherOne.
• 2013 – Virgin Media sold to Liberty Global
• 2015 – Virgin Trains East Coast commences operating the InterCity East Coast franchise, Virgin Group hold a 10% shareholding
• 2016 – Virgin launches Virgin Voyages; Virgin Radio Jakarta launches in May 2016, replacing Ninety Niners FM. The station was owned by MPG Media
• 2017 – Virgin invested in Hyperloop One; Branson joined its board of directors, and in December 2017 became its chairman.
• 2018 – Virgin invests in Brightline trains in Florida, USA. The system is briefly named Virgin Trains USA.
• 2018 – Virgin Trains East Coast ceases trading
• 2019 – Virgin purchases Flybe through the consortium Connect Airways, Flybe is subsequently renamed Virgin Connect.
• 2019 – Virgin Trains West Coast ceases after InterCity West Coast franchise lost to Avanti West Coast

2020s

• 2024 – Hyperloop One, formerly Virgin Hyperloop, is dissolved and sells its assets.

References

References

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2. [https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jan/03/kensington-roof-gardens-to-close-after-more-than-35-years Kensington Roof Gardens to close after more than 35 years] ''[[The Guardian]]'' 3 January 2018
3. (13 Mar 2007). "Business the Richard Branson Way: 10 Secrets of the World's Greatest Brand Builder". John Wiley & Sons.
4. "Richard Branson Biography". Bio..
5. (February 1993). "Polygram's visionary deal".
6. Hosking, Patrick. (29 April 1993). "Branson takes to the airwaves: Hopes are high as Virgin Radio begins broadcasting.". The Independent.
7. "14 Virgin companies that even Richard Branson could not stop going bust".
8. Branson's Virgin Group wins CrossCountry Trains for 15 years ''[[Rail (magazine). Rail]]'' issue 294 18 December 1996 page 6
9. Virgin to tackle IC West Coast ''[[Rail Business Intelligence. Rail Privatisation News]]'' issue 48 20 February 1997 page 1
10. (9 December 1997). "Chris Evans takes over at Virgin Radio". BBC News.
11. Stagecoach to Acquire 49% Stake in Virgin Rail ''[[Today's Railways UK]]'' issue 32 August 1998 page 8
12. [https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/hughes-snaps-up-broncos-6337121.html Hughes snaps up Broncos] ''[[Evening Standard]]'' 17 September 2001
13. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/572516.stm Branson sells 49% of Virgin Atlantic] ''[[BBC News]]'' 20 December 1999
14. [https://web.archive.org/web/20130102000006/http://www.virginaustralia.com/au/en/about-us/media/2000/D_019608/ Virgin Blue To Fly The Aussie Skies] Virgin Blue 5 February 2000
15. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6998606.stm Branson sells Virgin music stores] ''BBC News'' 17 September 2007
16. Shock as Virgin loses Cross Country to Arriva ''[[The Railway Magazine]]'' issue 1277 September 2007 page 11
17. (1 January 2012). "UKFI confirms completion of Northern Rock sale to Virgin Money". UKFI.
18. Stagecoach/Virgin bid wins East Coast franchise ''The Railway Magazine'' issue 1366 January 2015 page 6
19. (2017-10-12). "Hyperloop One Is Now 'Virgin Hyperloop One' Thanks to Richard Branson's Investment". [[Fortune (magazine).
20. "New Chairman, New Funding, & New Speed Records".
21. [https://www.railwaygazette.com/uk/government-terminates-virgin-trains-east-coast-franchise/46462.article Government terminates Virgin Trains East Coast franchise] ''Railway Gazette International'' 17 May 2018
22. [https://www.bbc.com/news/business-49341772 FirstGroup replaces Virgin to run West Coast route] ''BBC News'' 14 August 2019
23. [https://finance.yahoo.com/news/richard-branson-called-hyperloop-one-223754052.html Hyperloop One Closes]