GUS (retailer)

GUS plc is a retail company, formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange in the FTSE 100, from Great Britain.

GUS plc is headquartered in London and employs around 55,000 people ( 2004). The company's business is an abbreviation of Great Universal Stores ( company until 2001).

The company had until October 2006 following several divisions:

• HRG - The Home Retail Group with the sub-areas ARG Financial Services: Provider of tickets to purchase, as the Argos Card, and of Argos insurance products
• Argos (formerly belonging to the company British American Tobacco): the largest Einzehandelsunternehmen in the Catalog Retail
• Experian: an agency for credit check
• Home Base (formerly belonging to the company J Sainsbury )

Company History

Universal Stores was founded in 1900 in Manchester, England by Abraham and George Rose. In 1930 the company changed its name to " The Great Universal Stores Limited ". The following year, the company went to the London Stock Exchange.

In 2001 the company name to GUS plc. 2004 sold GUS plc its catalog shipping to the brothers David and Frederick Barclay, who brought this into their Littlewoods business.

On 10 October 2006 CIS was divided into two different companies, and the cleaved HRG.