"currently operate in 10 countries: Canada, China, Germany, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. Virgin Megastores Virgin Megastores is an international entertainment retailing chain, founded by Sir Richard Branson as a record shop on London's Oxford Street in early 1976. In 1979 the company opened their first Megastore at the end of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road. The company expanded to hundreds of stores worldwide in the 1990s, but has lost a large number of stores in recent years, largely with the sale and eventual closing of the UK, US, Irish, Canadian, Australian,"
"Africa, consisting of approximately 40 stores. Richard Branson and Nik Powell had initially run a small record shop called ""Virgin Records and Tapes"" on Notting Hill Gate, London, specialising particularly in ""krautrock"" imports, and offering bean bags and free vegetarian food for the benefit of customers listening to the music on offer. After making the shop into a success, they turned their business into a fully fledged record label, Virgin Records. The name Virgin, according to Branson (in his autobiography), arose from a colleague of his when they were brainstorming business ideas. She suggested Virgin – as they were all"
"The Venue (Victoria Street, London) The Venue was a live music club at 160–162 Victoria Street, London, England, owned by Virgin Records. It opened its doors on 1 November 1978 and operated until 1984. The first act to play there was Graham Parker and The Rumour, followed by the last live performances by Alex Harvey before his death. Todd Rundgren played some dates there just before Christmas in 1978, as part of the tour to back up the ""Back to the Bars"" album; released for the Christmas market, at the time. Two shows were sometimes played per night, and the"
"Street, the second-largest department store in the UK and flagship of the Selfridges chain, has been in Oxford Street since 1909. Marks & Spencer has two stores on Oxford Street. The first, Marks & Spencer Marble Arch, is at the junction with Orchard Street. A second branch between Regent Street and Tottenham Court Road stands on the former site of the Pantheon. The music retailer HMV opened at No. 363 Oxford Street in 1921 by Sir Edward Elgar. The Beatles made their first recording in London in 1962, when they cut a 78rpm demo disc in the store. A larger"
"2013 as part of a major redevelopment of the area. Magazine The Venue (Victoria Street, London) The Venue was a live music club at 160–162 Victoria Street, London, England, owned by Virgin Records. It opened its doors on 1 November 1978 and operated until 1984. The first act to play there was Graham Parker and The Rumour, followed by the last live performances by Alex Harvey before his death. Todd Rundgren played some dates there just before Christmas in 1978, as part of the tour to back up the ""Back to the Bars"" album; released for the Christmas market, at"
"Virgin Records Virgin Records Ltd. was a British record label founded by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman in 1972. It grew to be a worldwide phenomenon over time, with the success of platinum performers such as George Michael, Paula Abdul, Janet Jackson, Roy Orbison, Devo, Tangerine Dream, Genesis, Keith Richards, the Human League, Culture Club, Simple Minds, Lenny Kravitz, dc Talk, the Smashing Pumpkins, Mike Oldfield, Gorillaz, and Spice Girls, among others. After its acquisition by Universal Music Group through its purchase of EMI in 2012, UMG absorbed Virgin's British operations to create Virgin"
"Nik Powell Nik Powell (born 4 November 1950) is a British businessman and one of the co-founders of the Virgin Group with Richard Branson. After operating a mail-order company, a small record shop, and a recording studio, the partners established Virgin Records in 1972. It became one of the UK's major recording labels until it was sold to EMI in 1992. Born in Great Kingshill, Buckinghamshire, England, Powell was educated first at Longacre School, Shamley Green, Guildford, Surrey, moving when he was seven to a small Catholic preparatory school, St. Richard's in Little Malvern, outside Malvern. From there he went"
"the Virgin seal of approval. The original logo was a completely different design intended to be used for the record company that was founded by Richard Branson and Nik Powell. According to Richard Branson in interviews and on the Virgin website, the more recent signature logo was based on one that a designer scribbled on a napkin after a design meeting. After signing the Sex Pistols to the label it was clear that there would need to be a rethink on the design. Virgin Group has its headquarters at The Battleship Building in the Paddington district of the City of"
"was never brought before a court because Branson agreed to repay any unpaid VAT of 33% and a £70,000 fine. His parents re-mortgaged the family home in order to help pay the settlement. Earning enough money from his record store, Branson in 1972 launched the record label Virgin Records with Nik Powell. The name ""Virgin"" was suggested by one of Branson's early employees because they were all new at business. Branson bought a country estate north of Oxford in which he installed a residential recording studio, The Manor Studio. He leased studio time to fledgling artists, including multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield,"
"Richard Branson Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is an English business magnate, investor, author and philanthropist. He founded the Virgin Group, which controls more than 400 companies. Branson expressed his desire to become an entrepreneur at a young age. His first business venture, at the age of 16, was a magazine called ""Student"". In 1970, he set up a mail-order record business. He opened a chain of record stores, Virgin Records—later known as Virgin Megastores—in 1972. Branson's Virgin brand grew rapidly during the 1980s, as he set up Virgin Atlantic airline and expanded the Virgin Records"
"the flagship UK store for Tower Records. In 2003 it was bought by Richard Branson of the Virgin Group and became a Virgin Megastore. The Virgin name disappeared in 2007 and was replaced by Zavvi but Zavvi went into receivership in 2009. The Sting, a fashion department store with branches in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, opened in the building in July 2010. The Feathers public house at 43 Linhope Street, Marylebone was renamed the ""Swan & Edgar"" in honour of this former department store. Swan & Edgar Swan & Edgar Ltd was a department store, located at Piccadilly Circus"
"Oxford Music Hall Oxford Music Hall was a music hall located in Westminster, London at the corner of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road. It was established on the site of a former public house, the Boar and Castle, by Charles Morton, in 1861. In 1917 the music hall was converted into a legitimate theatre, and in 1921 it was renamed the New Oxford Theatre. In May 1926 it closed and was demolished. The site was occupied by the first Virgin Megastore from 1979 and closed in 2009. In September 2012 a branch of the budget fashion retailer Primark opened"
"all of which eventually closed in early 2009 after less than a year of trading. On 2 March 2009, The Hut Group purchased the rights to the Zavvi brand online, and relaunched the Zavvi website with an increased range. Richard Branson started his first Virgin store on London's Oxford Street in 1971. The company opened its first Megastore in 1979, at the end of Oxford Street near Tottenham Court Road. The chain grew throughout the 1980s and 1990s, most notably through its merger with the Our Price chain whilst under the ownership of WH Smith. Virgin Megastores became an international"
"Merrill Tomassi, the sister of Richard Branson's first wife, ended in divorce. He then married singer Sandie Shaw and helped relaunch her career. They had two children, Amie and Jack, before divorcing in the early 1990s. Nik Powell Nik Powell (born 4 November 1950) is a British businessman and one of the co-founders of the Virgin Group with Richard Branson. After operating a mail-order company, a small record shop, and a recording studio, the partners established Virgin Records in 1972. It became one of the UK's major recording labels until it was sold to EMI in 1992. Born in Great"
"serves as Chelsea's high street and has a reputation for being one of London's most fashionable shopping streets. Other celebrated boutiques included Granny Takes a Trip, The Sweet Shop in Blantyre Street just off King's Road at World's End and Stop The Shop, a fashion boutique with a revolving floor. 484 King's Road was the headquarters of Swan Song Records, owned by Led Zeppelin. They left following closure of the company in 1983. King's Road was site of the first UK branch of Starbucks which opened in 1999. 535 King's Road was the headquarters of Cube Records, a late 1960s"
"Probe Records (shop) Probe Records is a small independent record shop in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1971 by Geoff Davies, the shop was originally located on Clarence Street, off Brownlow Hill with a second location soon opened in the basement of Silly Billies clothes shop. The shop relocated in 1976 to Button Street around the corner from Eric's Club on Mathew Street and found itself at the centre of the city's emerging punk and new wave music scene, acting as a supporter of local independent bands and musicians. Davies admitted that he was far more a music enthusiast than he"
"size, and in six years became the country's leading specialist music retailers. It faced new competition, however, from Virgin Megastores, established in 1976, and Our Price, established in 1972. Subsequently, HMV overtook Our Price in popularity and threatened their existence, having established a chain of newer, larger stores. The company opened its flagship store at a new location on Oxford Street in 1986, announcing it was the largest record store in the world at the time, and the official opening was attended by Bob Geldof and Michael Hutchence. Growth continued for a third decade into the 1990s, with the company"
"Virgin Megastores UK Virgin Megastores was a retail chain that operated in the United Kingdom from 1971 to 2007. The company was established by Richard Branson, originally as a small record shop, and became a national chain. In 2007, the company was sold to management, and was rebranded as Zavvi. Zavvi entered administration in 2008 and subsequently closed. Richard Branson & Nik Powell had initially run a small record shop called ""Virgin Records and Tapes"" on Notting Hill Gate, London, specialising particularly in ""krautrock"" imports, and offering bean bags and free vegetarian food for the benefit of customers listening to"
"the corner from The Zanzibar on Seel Street, where it stayed until 2010 before moving to Bluecoat Chambers on School Lane in the centre of the city. Probe Records (shop) Probe Records is a small independent record shop in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1971 by Geoff Davies, the shop was originally located on Clarence Street, off Brownlow Hill with a second location soon opened in the basement of Silly Billies clothes shop. The shop relocated in 1976 to Button Street around the corner from Eric's Club on Mathew Street and found itself at the centre of the city's emerging punk"
"Sex (boutique) Sex was a boutique run by Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood at 430 King's Road, London between 1974 and 1976. It specialised in clothing that defined the look of the punk movement. From 1969 to 1970, No. 430 was the premises of ""Mr Freedom"". In October 1971, Malcolm McLaren and a friend from art school, Patrick Casey, opened a stall in the back of the ""Paradise Garage"" boutique at 430 King's Road in London's Chelsea district. On sale were items collected by McLaren over the previous year, including rock & roll records, magazines, clothing and memorabilia from the"
"Rough Trade (shops) Rough Trade is a group of independent record shops in the UK and the US with headquarters in London, UK. The first Rough Trade shop was opened in 1976 by Geoff Travis in the Ladbroke Grove district of west London. In 1978, the shop spawned Rough Trade Records, which became the label of bands from The Smiths to The Libertines. In 1982, the two separated and the shop remains an independent entity from the label, although links between the two are strong. At the same time, the shop moved from its original location on Kensington Park Road"
"co-founded with Richard Grant, which was located at 530 W. 27th St in the Chelsea district. Major record labels began soliciting Vasquez to produce club-friendly remixes for their top singers using his personal beat-driven house style. Due to a rise in demand from these labels, many singer and musicians like C+C Music Factory, David Morales, Björk, Marilyn Manson, and Madonna were known to frequent his Sunday morning events. Working with many popular artists allowed Vasquez to create his own repertoire of exclusive ""Private Collection"" of authorized remixes (along with several unofficial remixes) which were not released to the market and"
"commercial purposes in the 19th century. At first, metalwork was a popular trade but it became most famous as Britain's ""Tin Pan Alley"" housing numerous music publishers' offices. This market declined in the 1960s to be replaced by music shops and independent recording studios. The Rolling Stones recorded at Regent Sound Studio at No. 4 and popular musicians, including David Bowie and the Small Faces, often socialised in the Gioconda café at No. 9. Elton John and Bernie Taupin wrote songs at offices on the street in the 1960s, while the Sex Pistols lived above No. 6, and recorded their"
"label, and later a tape called 'First from Last Exit' featuring nine original songs. In 1976, Carol Wilson, Head of Richard Branson's music publishing company, saw Last Exit play in the Gosforth Hotel in Newcastle and signed them. Virgin financed the recording of a demo in the Pathway Studios in London. Wilson organised a number of gigs, including Dingwalls, and a double page feature in Sounds and played the demo to every major record label. Most A&R men liked it but could not see an obvious category to market the band, so no record deal materialised. In 1977, Last Exit"
"Charles Street, near the Oxford Road BBC building, were opened in September 1990 (prior to which the company was still registered at Alan Erasmus' flat in Didsbury). In 1991, Factory suffered two tragedies: the deaths of Martin Hannett and Dave Rowbotham. Hannett had recently re-established a relationship with the label, working with Happy Mondays, and tributes including a compilation album and a festival were organised. Rowbotham was one of the first musicians signed by the label; he was an original member of the Durutti Column and shared the guitar role with Vini Reilly; he was murdered and his body was"
"Virgin Records. In 1979, the band travelled to England to record their first album ""Metro Music"" (1980) for the DinDisc Label - a Virgin Records subsidiary. The album was produced by Mike Howlett and recorded at The Manor Studios in Oxfordshire. This album gave Martha and the Muffins a major international hit single with ""Echo Beach"". Although the album didn't spawn any further hits, ""Paint by Number Heart"" did get some airplay on Canadian radio while ""Saigon"" and a further single ""Suburban Dream"" were played on BBC Radio 1. In addition, both songs received airplay on the American dance charts."
"record shop, opened by Geoff Travis on Kensington Park Road, West London, in February 1976. It was inspired by what Travis has described as the ""community-based environment"" of the City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco, and specialised in garage rock and reggae. Steve Montgomery, initially a customer of the shop, was offered a job soon after it opened and became its effective co-manager. Travis and Montgomery were joined by a further employee, Richard Scott, in June 1977. Rough Trade produced its own record for the first time after French punk band Métal Urbain came into the shop asking for assistance"
"Wiiija Wiiija was a British independent record label founded in 1988 by staff from the Rough Trade Shop in Notting Hill, London. The name Wiiija is a corruption of W11 1JA, the postcode of the Rough Trade Shop in Talbot Street. The label was notable for introducing the band Therapy? and releasing the first records by Silverfish, Huggy Bear and Cornershop. Notable later releases included Free Kitten and Bis while the commercial success of Cornershop from 1997 rewarded the label's long-term support. Wiiija became loosely associated with the early UK riot grrrl scene as a result of releases by Huggy"
"10, 2011, Virgin Group chairman Richard Branson and Glee star Cory Monteith celebrated the opening of Virgin Mobile Canada's first street-front store, located in Montreal, Quebec. A few days later, on June 17, a second Virgin store was built inside the MuchMusic headquarters in Toronto, Ontario. This store is called ""Virgin Mobile at Much"". The third retail store was opened in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Starting Q3 2012, select Virgin Mobile Canada retail locations became what are known as 'Service Lounges', A Service Lounge offers live, in person Warranty Support and can accept broken devices eligible for repair under the Virgin"
"for. The first single release for the label was Kevin Coyne's ""Marlene"" (b/w ""Everybody Says""), taken from his album ""Marjory Razorblade"" and released in August 1973. Coyne was the second artist signed to the label after Oldfield. Although Virgin was initially one of the key labels of English and European progressive rock, the 1977 signing of the Sex Pistols (who had already been signed and then dropped by both EMI and A&M) reinvented the label as a new-wave outpost, a move that plunged the record company into the mainstream of the punk rock era. Under the guidance of Tessa Watts,"
"Records was already a major label in the UK, their debut song, ""(I Just) Died in Your Arms"", provided the first US hit for Virgin as a full-fledged label. This song release quickly helped the band gain popularity. Virgin flew the band to New York City for initial recordings of the album, then to Australia to shoot music videos. The unknown band shot to No. 1 in the major US market, as well as smaller markets such as Canada and Norway, with their debut single. Their most popular single, it was a multiformat success in the US, where it also"
"Victoria Road, Leeds, from where they sold cereal flakes, dried fruits and brown rice. They soon needed more room, and so rented a lock-up garage nearby – this is where the name ‘Suma’ was first used for the growing business. At the time, Reg was working as a delivery driver for Jonathan Silver, taking clothes to his chain of menswear shops around the north of England. Reg delivered the wholefood orders in between the ‘official’ deliveries for his boss, who knew what was going on but turned a blind eye even so. (Jonathan Silver later sold up and went travelling."
"HMV by owners Thorn EMI in the late 1980s established a chain of newer, larger stores, which threatened and eventually overtook Our Price in popularity. In 1984, Our Price was the first specialist music store to float on the London Stock Exchange. Two years later, it was acquired by WH Smith for £43 million, with Smith's Sound FX immediately absorbed into Our Price. Several members of senior management left the company in 1989 to create the rival MVC, which itself would eventually be bought by Woolworths. In March 1994, WH Smith also bought a majority interest in Richard Branson's Virgin"