Jan Murray (entrepreneur)

Jan Murray, Entrepreneur

Jan Murray is a British born technology entrepreneur best known for founding PC World Plc, the first computer superstore chain in the world, outside the US.

Career

In 1967, Jan Murray entered the family business REW Audio Visual Plc standing as Joint Managing Director from 1975–1979. Murray went on to sell the company to Thorn-EMI Plc for £3.5 Million in 1979, becoming a Divisional Director there until 1982.[1]

Trying his hand as an entrepreneur, Murray founded Vision Technology Group Plc in 1982 becoming the largest mail-order computer supplier in the UK with a £35 Million annual turnover. Murray’s natural entrepreneurship took hold when he founded PC World Plc in 1991; the first computer superstore chain in the world, outside the USA. Within 24 months of starting up, he had opened the four largest flagship stores around London, attaining an annual turnover of £50 million.[2]

Murray sold PC World Plc together with Vision Technology Group Plc to Dixons Group Plc for £9 Million in 1993.[3] In 1995, Murray founded Internet Technology Group Plc, an internet service provider formed to offer high speed connections to business customers and the general public.

Murray sold Internet Technology Group Plc to Concentric Corp. (Nasdaq.CNCX)/Nexlink Corporation (Nasdaq.NXLK) for $250 million in 2000; the largest sale of an independent ISP in the UK.[4][5]

Since 2000, Murray has invested in technology start-ups via investment vehicle Nebula Associates Ltd. Having acquired 25% of Skyguard Technology Ltd, a lone worker protection provider in 2005, Murray went on to form the Send For Help Group which wholly acquired Skyguard in March 2010. More recently, the Send For Help Group purchased Guardian24 in December 2014, which led the Group to become the largest lone worker protection in the world, with a combined subscriber base of over 100,000 end users.[6] Symbolic to his wealthy business career, Murray featured on the Sunday Times Rich List in 2009, ranking at number 1,284.[7][8]

References

  1. ↑ "Skyguard Lone Worker | Meet the Chairman". Skyguard.co.uk. 2015-08-03. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  2. ↑ "UK: Managing Information Technology - Pile 'em high sell 'em cheap AT COMPUTER SUPERSTORES.". Management Today. 1992-04-01. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  3. ↑ John Willcock (1997-02-11). "Not many winners in the stockbrokers' racing tips - Business - News". The Independent. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  4. ↑ "The Company File | Californians swoop on UK tech firm". BBC News. 1999-09-08. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  5. ↑ "Jan Murray | Technology". The Guardian. 1999-10-05. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  6. ↑ "Send for help group acquires bluechip technologies to become europe's largest lone worker protection provider". SendForHelp. 2015-04-04. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  7. ↑ "Jan Murray". The Sunday Times. 2009-04-26. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  8. ↑ "Murray stands to make £50m from ITG sale - 15 Sep 1999 - CRN UK News". Channelweb.co.uk. 1999-09-15. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
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