Timeline of Richard Branson's business ventures

This is a list of Richard Branson's business ventures from the 1960s to today.

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 launched Mates condoms in the UK to promote condoms to young adults
  • 1988 – Virgin re-opens the recently acquired and re-modeled 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

2000s

2010s