- Sir Richard Branson founded Virgin Group in 1968 as a youth magazine. Over the following decades he expanded into music, airlines, publishing, radio, vacations and more. - By the 1990s Virgin had operations in Japan, publishing, radio, vacations, and other areas. In the 2000s it expanded further into financial services, travel, student communities, cars, wines and more. - Today Virgin operates over 300 companies worldwide employing around 50,000 people across 30 countries, with annual revenues exceeding $18 billion.

2. History
• 1968 virgin company was founded by Sir Richard Branson
• 1968-1979 sir Richard Branson created a youth magazine at age 16. the
subsequent years saw series of innovations from virgin mail , virgin record shop
and Britain's first residential recording studio was opened in Cherwell. Virgin
record label was launch in 1973 and first virgin megastore was also opened in
London oxford street.
• the 80s saw the birth of virgin games now called virgin interactive. Between 1984-
1986, virgin Atlantic Airways and Virgin cargo are born. Virgin airship and balloon
company took flights in 1887. 1988 and 1989 marked the opening of new
recording stores across Britain and new Air routes in Tokyo.
• 1990-1995
• Virgin megastore arrived in japan
• Virgin publishing was formed
• Virgin radio was launched
• Virgin vacations was established as well as virgin cinemas in the UK and virgin
limobikes.

3. History cont.
1996-1999
• Virgin express airline took off, V2 music was created and V2 music publishing.
• Virgin.net was launched as an internet service provider
• Virgin brides was opened and virgin voucher was launched as well as virgin
cosmetics company.
• Virgin books published its first edition
• Virgin mobile launched virgin’s first consumer telecommunications venture.
• Virgin launched its first health and lifestyle centres as well as acquiring ulusaba, a
private game reserve in South Africa.
2000-2005
• Virginmoney.com, a financial services supermarket was launched.
• Virgin travel store, a travel agency was opened and V.shop, a new retail concept
began trading.
• Virgin student, a student community website and marketing agency was launched.

4. History cont.
• Virgin cars began retailing, virgin wines was launched, virgin energy began selling
gas and virgin mobile Australia was launched.
• Virgin ware was introduced into the underwear market in the UK, virgin experience
was launched and virgin credit card was introduced.
• The virgin vie spa treatment rooms was opened in South Africa, virgin bikes began
and virgin galactic, the first commercial space tourism company was launched .
• Virgin unite, virgin’s non profit organisation was formed and virgin games’ visual
bingo was launched.
2006
• Virgin mobile UK and virgin.net merged with NTL telewest to create virgin media.
• Virgin media became Brussels airlines.
• Virgin Atlantic opened the virgin club house at Heathrow and virgin fuels, an
independent privet equity firm investing growth capital in North America and
Europe was launched.

5. History cont.
• 2007-2010
• Virgin became the UK’s first ‘quadplay’ company offering TV, broadband, phone
and mobile services.
• Virgin health bank is announced
• Virgin holidays acquired travel city direct in the UK
• Virgin america becomes the first airline to offer WIFI access on every flight
• Virgin hotels was launched
• Virgin radio international, launched a calgary station and sky bought virgin media
television.
2011
• Virgin launched virgin oceanic, a deep sea exploration submarine
• Virgin media introduced Tivo to the UK TV watching public
2012 coming soon

6. Global operations
Virgin has created more than 300 branded
companies worldwide, employing approximately
50,000 people, in 30 countries. Global branded
revenues in 2009 exceeded £11.5 billion
(approx. US$18 billion).

8. STRATEGIES
• Virgin believe in making a difference and believe that they are different from rest.
• Virgin stands for value for money, quality, innovation, fun and a sense of
competitive challenge.
• Virgin deliver a quality service by empowering their employees and they facilitate
and monitor customer feedback to continually improve the customer's experience
through innovation.
• The model of the organisation I to develop each business separately with its own
shareholders and management. By this way they can concentrate on the work at
hand rather than be part of some enormous and faceless conglomerates. At the
same time all of these strategic business units operate under the same corporate
patent. In a sense the virgin group is a community. Every strategic business unit in
it share ideas, values, interests, goals, and the most important, they share the
same brand. It has being described as a structure of loosely linked autonomous
unit run by self managed teams that used a common brand name.