DSG International (retailer)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (August 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (December 2007)

DSG international plc
Type	Public (LSE: DSGI)
Founded	27 October 1937 (as Dixon Studios Limited)
Headquarters	Hemel Hempstead, England, UK
Key people	Lord Kalms of Edgware (President) Sir John Collins (Chairman since September 2002), John Browett (Group Chief Executive from 6th Dec 2007), Kevin O'Byrne (Group Finance Director since 19 July 2004) Ben Bengougam (Group Director of Human Resources since January 2006)
Industry	Retail and E-Tail
Products	Brown goods, White goods, Telecommunications, Information Technology, Digital photo processing, Pre-Recorded Media, Childcare Equipment
Revenue	▲ £7,072 million GBP (2006)[1]
Operating income	▲ £261.9 million GBP (2006)
Net income	▲ £211.7 million GBP (2006)
Employees	42,000+ (2006)
Website	http://www.dsgiplc.com/

The United Kingdom based company DSG international plc (aka DSGi), formerly Dixons Stores Group plc, is one of the largest consumer electronics retailers in Europe. The company operates the Dixons, Dixons Tax Free, Currys, Currys.digital and PC World stores along with many other brands across Europe. DSGi is a member of the FTSE 250 Index as of 24 December 2007.

The Group's main focus is to specialise in the sale of high technology consumer electronics products, audio-video equipment, PCs, small and large domestic appliances, photographic equipment, communication products and related financial and after sales services (e.g. extended service agreements). Alternate products and services provided by the group included electrical products, spares accessories and repairs, mobile services, online digital photo processing, pre-recorded media and even childcare equipment. Their main rival is KESA Electricals plc, which owns Comet and Darty.

Contents 1 History 1.1 1937–1949 1.2 1950–1959 1.3 1960–1969 1.4 1970–1979 1.5 1980–1989 1.6 1990–1999 1.7 2000–present 2 Group structure * 2.1 Electricals Division 2.2 Computing Division 2.3 New Businesses Division 3 Subsidiaries 4 Former business brands and companies 5 Own brand products 6 Corporate affairs 6.1 Corporate structure 6.1.1 President 6.1.2 The Board 6.1.3 Senior Management 6.2 Financial results 6.2.1 Annual Reports 7 See also 8 External links 9 Footnotes

[edit] History

[edit] 1937–1949

To meet Wikipedia's quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup because it is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this section to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (June 2008)

Charles Kalms opened the first Dixons photographic studio at 32 High Street, Southend.^[1] The business was incorporated as a private company called Dixon Studios Limited and registered on 27 October 1937 with share capital of £100.^[2]

Charles Kalms had been selling advertising space on the London Underground when he met Michael Mindel, who had a small photographic studio in Oxford Street but was keen to expand. They became the first directors of the company.

When the first studio opened in Southend, the shop front could accommodate a name of no more than six letters. The solution was found in the telephone directory - "Dixons" was short enough to fit over the door ^[2].

Throughout the war years, there was an unprecedented demand for portrait photography, particularly from service personnel and their families. The company flourished and set up seven studios in the London area. But by the end of the war, the market contracted as dramatically as it had expanded and the company was reduced to a single studio in Edgware, north London.

But Stanley Kalms, who joined the business in 1948 at the age of 16, capitalised on the interest in photography which had resulted from the war. The company began advertising new and secondhand photographic products in the trade, local and national press.

This laid the foundations for a mail order division, the brainchild of Ernest Shenton, the group's Managing Director, which coupled with "make your own terms" credit agreements, ensured that Dixons would become the number one photographic dealer.

[edit] 1950–1959

In 1957 Dixons expanded so rapidly it was forced to find a new head office to accommodate the growing number of employees dealing with 60,000 mail order customers and provide administrative back-up for six stores. Soon the 20,000 sq ft (2,000 m²) premises in High Street, Edgware became a buying centre too when Stanley Kalms started regular trips to the Far East. He forged vital links with Japanese manufacturers who supplied Dixons directly with products often made to the company's own specification and sold under the brand name of 'Prinz'. Hard bargaining and bulk buying, predominantly in Japan, gave Dixons a competitive edge over its rivals.

[edit] 1960–1969

In 1962 Dixons had 16 branches and was listed on the London Stock Exchange under the name of Dixons Photographic Limited. A rapid expansion of the store portfolio followed throughout the 1960s, including the acquisition of major competitors Ascotts (1962) and Bennetts (1964) which added 13 and 29 retail outlets respectively to the Dixons chain.

In 1967 Dixons diversified into developing and printing by taking control of an 85,000 sq ft (7,900 m²) colour processing laboratory in Stevenage, the most up-to-date in Europe at the time. Again mail order on a massive scale became key to the company's success. Japanese audio and hi-fi units were also introduced into the Dixons range.

In the mid sixties, Dixons took over a photo processing company called Contaprint. Quality of prints was never very good and eventually it closed down.

A manufacturing company was also bought, originally called Granville, making movie lights and the infamous Titlemaster titling unit. Sales were poor and unit was closed.

A big success was the purchase of the unsold stock of the Miranda camera company which enabled Dixons to offer some high quality goods at very low prices.

In late sixties Dixons moved into Holland with the purchase of the Rink chain. This venture failed and was sold off although the buyer retained the Dixons brand.

[edit] 1970–1979

In 1971 Charles Kalms stood down as Chairman and was succeeded by his son Stanley. Charles became Life President of the Group.

In 1972 the 15 Wallace Heaton shops in the London area were acquired. The gradual reduction in the working week meant more leisure time for everyone. A number of Dixons stores included sports departments and photography as a hobby boomed, increasing sales of cameras year on year throughout the decade.

In 1974 the main Stevenage Distribution Centre opened on a seven acre site with 163,000 sq ft (15,100 m²) of floor space, computerised control and conveyor belt stock handling. At the time it was the largest computerised warehouse in Europe.

In 1978 Charles Kalms President of the Group died at the age of 80.

During late seventies Dixons also took over the Greens Photographic chain. New products experimented with included burglar alarms, metal detectors and skate boards.

Since the 1970ies Prinzsound was a label of Dixons for their (far East) imported consumer electronics.

[edit] 1980–1989

In 1980, sales suffered when the new Conservative government increased VAT. Over 400 staff were made redundant overnight in a major cost cutting exercise.

In 1982 Dixons introduced their Saisho own-brand range of electronic goods spanning audio, TV and video products, since re-branded Advent. Dixons and Currys currently also sell a range of own brand goods under the Matsui brand.

In 1984 the Currys Group was acquired, adding 613 retail outlets to the Group together with Mastercare, the nationwide electrical appliance service organisation with 41 depots and 900 repair staff. Also part of the deal was Bridgers, a chain of white and brown goods discount stores which formed the basis of today's Currys Superstores. Further acquisitions over the years have included a number of similar chains, such as Orbit and Greens.

In 1986 the Group acquired the Supasnaps chain of 337 specialist photo shops.

In 1987 in its 50th Anniversary year, the Group acquired Silo, the US's third largest power retailer with 147 stores.

In 1988 the acquisition of Wigfalls brought into the Group a further 106 shops, trading mainly in the Midlands and north of England. Dixons' and Currys' head office departments and support functions were integrated into a single entity, Dixons Stores Group, with John Clare appointed Managing Director. The two chains, however, retained separate brand identities.

In 1989 the film processing division was sold to its management.

[edit] 1990–1999

In 1993 the Group bought Vision Technology Group Ltd (VTA), which operated four PC World Superstores and a group of companies selling mail order PCs, peripherals, software and accessories to companies, educational institutions and private individuals. VTG's PC World Superstores were based in Croydon, Lakeside Retail Park at West Thurrock, Brentford and Staples Corner, north London. The Group sold VTG's mail order division and focused on the retail side of the business.

The Group also sold Dixons US Holdings Inc, Silo's parent company, to Fretter Inc, in which it retained a 30 per cent stake. Supasnaps was sold to Sketchley plc.

In 1994 the Group announced the pilot of a new shopping format called The Link, which would sell the latest generation of communication services and products. Later that year the first Dixons Tax Free store opened at Heathrow Terminal 3 in July 1994.

In 1995 the Group opened the largest electrical superstore in Europe at the time, a 32,000 sq ft Currys Superstore at Junction 9 of the M6 in Birmingham.

In 1996 Group Chairman Stanley Kalms was awarded a knighthood in the New Year's Honours List in recognition of his services to electrical retailing.

The Group also acquired DN Computer Services plc (DNCS), the computer reseller business, which became part of the PC World division. DNCS enabled PC World to establish a strong position in the £3 billion business-to-business market. The group followed by launching PC World Business Direct in 1997, a new IT mail order service incorporating the brand strength of PC World and the sector expertise of DNCS.

In 1996 the Group opened the first out of town Dixons store at Fosse Park retail centre, Leicester and its first store in the Republic of Ireland. The next year the Group acquired the retail assets of Harry Moore Ltd, the Ireland-based electrical retailer, allowing the group to strengthened its presence in Ireland, opening a third Dixons store in Dublin and the first PC World store (and the largest computer superstore) in the Republic.

In 1997 Telecom Securicor Cellular Radio Limited (Cellnet) bought a 40 per cent stake in The Link.

In October 1997 the Group launched Dixons Online website. Customers were offered guaranteed next-day delivery on mainland UK of over 2,000 products. Followed by new e-commerce sites for PC World Business Direct and PC World Software in 1998.

In 1998 Currys became the first UK electrical retailer to stock plasma TVs in widescreen format. Later in the year, Currys and Dixons were among the first retailers to sell integrated digital TVs.

In September 1998 the Group launched Freeserve, the UK's first fully-featured internet service available free with no registration or subscription fees. This was later sold to France Telecom and renamed Wanadoo.

In January 1999 Dixons Group Retail Properties Limited was established to manage and develop the Group's retail portfolio.

Also in 1999 The Link sold its millionth mobile phone after just four years of trading, and Freeserve also announced a milestone with its millionth subscriber.

Dixons Select was launched in October 1999 on Open, the first integrated digital television shopping service.

In December 1999 the Group made an offer for leading Nordic electrical retailer, Elkjøp ASA. Within six weeks, the deal was complete.

[edit] 2000–present

In 2004, Dixons announced they would stop selling VCRs when their existing stock ran out as there was no longer sufficient demand for them, compared to DVD Players. On 8 August 2005 Dixons followed this move by announcing they would stop selling non-digital cameras. The announcements attracted worldwide media coverage and were handled by director of media relations Hamish Thompson and his award-winning team.

In 2005 the group also acquired an interest with an option to buy the Eldorado Group[2], the largest electrical retailer in Russia and Ukraine by 2011 at a fixed price of $1.9 billion (£1 billion GBP) with plans of further expansion into the European market, by entering one new country each year either through acquisition of an existing business or the start up of a new one.

In late 2006 the group was awarded The Queen's Award for Enterprise. To celebrate, all employees were offered a congratulation medal.

In 2006 the group announced that their Dixons brand presence would continue purely online and that all high-street Dixons stores would be rebranded as Currys.digital.

In January 2007, Dixons subsidiary PC World announced they would no longer carry floppy drives after current stock runs out.

In March 2007 DSGi said it had identified a "significant fraud operation"^{[citation needed]} at the Parisian warehouse operations of its unit Fotovista SA, and warned it expects the issue to offset profit contributions from its new businesses this year.

In January 2008 DSGi announced that it would stop selling analogue TVs in PC World, Currys and Currys.digital stores. Instead, only IDTVs (Integrated Digital Televisions) would be sold in an effort to ready consumers for the Digital switchover in the UK. Currys Managing director Peter Keenan described the move as "appropriate to ensure that our customers are able to select from a future-proof range of televisions."^[3]

In May 2008, DSGi announced^[4] that it will close 77 of its 177 UK Currys.digital shops as their building leases expire over the next five years. This is part of a cost cutting drive aimed at saving £50m in 2008-9. This was a reduced amount to the predicted 200 store closure ^[5]. The reduction reflected the news of American Electrical rival Best Buy is seeking to establish itself within the UK. ^[6]

[edit] Group structure *

[edit] Electricals Division

---

Dixons Tax-Free

Dixons Tax-Free operates at airports and other locations around the UK, selling items without the 17.5% VAT charge.

Currys

The Currys group, including Mastercare, was purchased by Dixons in 1984, then adding an extra 613 stores, 41 depots, and 900 repair staff to the Group. Currys claims to be the UK's largest electrical retailer, with a total of 547 stores (including the Currys.digital brand), 302 out-of-town superstores, 42 Currys high-street and 190 Currys.digital high-street shops employing a total of 9204 staff (2006). They also have 10 stores in the Republic of Ireland. The company's primary market is white and brown goods, but they also sell small kitchen appliances, computers and mobile phones. Currys specialise in home electronics and household appliances. Their annual sales for year ending April 2006 were £1,985 million and £1,852 million year ending April 2005.

Currys.digital

Currys.digital is the rebranded name for Dixons retail outlets in the UK excluding Ireland and the Dixons Tax Free stores operating from UK airports. In April 2006 the Group decided to move its focus for the Dixons chain from the high street and concentrate purely on e-commerce. The stores were subsequently renamed Currys.digital as an extension of Currys (also part of the Group's retail outlets) to allow Dixons to break free from the high street. The rebranded Currys.digital markets itself as a specialist division of Currys aimed at the technology-focused consumer with product ranges such as cameras, personal computers, audio and video equipment — as Dixons had in the past — while offering a range of large and small domestic appliances that the traditional Currys stores sell.

In an interview with The Independent newspaper on 18 January 2007, John Clare admitted that the future of its 200-odd high street stores was in doubt. He said the group would not be renewing the leases on its Currys.digital stores because of the upward pressure on rents.

It's not a policy decision to move away from the high street, moving away is a consequence of high rents.
- John Clare CBE (Group Chief Executive)

DSG Insurance Services

DSG Insurance Services offers a service for the provision of electrical goods and claims handling services to the UK insurance replacement market. An end to end service is offered, from initial call handling and claim validation, through to repair or replacement – either with replacement goods or an insurance replacement voucher – and after-sales support. The insurance replacement voucher is a process that gives customers direct access to the Group's wide range of products and services. The vouchers are redeemable at any branch of Currys, Currys.digital and PC World.

Distribution

This was done by Mastercare Ltd, a division of DSGi.

As of mid 2006, Mastercare's repair division name was changed to "The TechGuys", and Distribution division changed to Currys Distribution.

Distribution to customers is done throughout 2 different routes, first being a collection of HDCs (Home Delivery Centres previously known as X-Docks) supplying larger items through out the country such as Bristol, Cardiff, Epsom, Erith, Plympton, Southampton and Perivale, all of which are supplied by 2 main stock centres (HUBs) based in Newark and Bristol. The second route, CDC (Customer Distribution Centre), supplies smaller items direct to customers via a third party courier.

Distribution to stores is also done via 2 different routes, first being RDCs (Regional Distribution Centres) supplying larger items, based at the sames sites in Newark and Bristol covering the North and South on the country respectively. The second route occurs from the companies NDC (National Distribution Centre) warehouse based in Stevenage supplying small domestic appliances and other smaller stock items. The NDC also handles the companies standard returns of faulty items. The Stevenage NDC operation closed in April 2007.

DSG Ireland

DSG Ireland have stores in the major centres of the Republic of Ireland. As of April 2006 there were eight Dixons stores, four Currys and nine PC World outlets. DSG Ireland have announced that they will not be adopting the new Currys.digital branding for high-street stores, instead retaining the traditional Dixons branding, with Currys being used exclusively for large-format superstores.

Elkjøp

Elkjøp retails in the Nordic region. Elkjøp operates 6 retail chains stores across Norway (Elkjøp, El Giganten, Gigantti, Lefdal Lavpris, Markatalo and Elko) in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. Elkjøp currently operates 221 stores employing a total of 5105 staff (2006), These stores sell white goods, brown goods, consumer electronics, PCs, communications products and related services through. Their combined annual sales for year ending April 2006 were £1,155 million.

El Giganten

El Giganten is a retail brand operated under Elkjøp. There are 51 El Giganten stores in Sweden, 26 in Denmark and three in the Faroe Islands, specialising in mixed electricals in out of town locations.

Gigantti

Gigantti is a retail brand operated under Elkjøp. There are currently 21 superstores in Finland under the Gigantti brand. The first opened in September 1999.

Lefdal Lavpris

Lefdal Lavpris is a retail brand operated under Elkjøp. There are 8 Lefdal Lavpris operating across Norway.

Markantalo

Markantalo is a retail brand operated under Elkjøp. In January 2006, the Group acquired the 22 store portfolio of Markantalo

Electro World

Electro World is DSG international’s chain of electrical superstores in Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Poland. It now has 18 stores and employs 1089 people in the region. Electro World annual sales for year ending April 2006 were £119 million.

Hungary

The first 43,000 sq ft (4,000 m²) hyperstore opened in Budaörs, Budapest in 2002, prompting incredible customer interest with long queues on the motorway. During the following four years, a further six stores have opened — one in Pecs, one in Debrecen and another four in Budapest. The most recent store was opened in May 2006 in Campona shopping mall in Budapest.

Czech Republic

In 2002, the first Electro World store opened in Praha Zlicin. Seven further stores have since opened. There are now three hyperstores in Prague, three stores in Moravia, one in East Bohemia and one in South Bohemia.

Electro World is very highly regarded and was voted Electrical Retailer of the Year by shoppers in 2004, and has twice featured in the Czech 100 Best Companies list, in 2004 and 2005.

Poland

The first Electro World store to open in Poland was in October 2005 at the Targowek commercial center in Warsaw. Sales on the opening day topped one million Euros and the store welcomed more than 15,000 customers. Three stores have since opened, one in Janki just outside Warsaw city centre, one in Gdansk (May 2006) and most recently in Lodz (2007) at Manufaktura sales centre located in city centre.

Central Europe Distribution Centre

Currently, 85% of Electro World goods pass through the company's Central Europe distribution centre just outside the city of Brno. The warehouse, completed in a record six months, is 28,000 square feet (2,600 m²) in size, making it the largest warehouse facility for non-food goods in the Czech Republic. The centre dispatches 15 lorries daily, and this number doubles during peak season.

UniEuro

Acquired by the Group in 2001, UniEuro currently operates 110 stores employing a total of 2507 staff (2006), mainly in out of town locations and concentrated in the north west and north east of Italy.

The stores sell a mixture of high technology consumer electronics, personal computers, domestic appliances, photographic equipment, communication products and related services. The proposition is focused on competitive prices, customer service and new technology. Their annual sales for year ending April 2006 were £633 million.

Κωτσοβολος (Kotsovolos)

Kotsovolos is an electrical retailer in Greece. DSG international acquired a 15% stake in the company in April 2000 and became the majority owner September 2004.

Kotsovolos began as a single store in Athens in 1950. Today it trades from 77 stores and more than 56,000 sq meters of selling space. It employs nearly 2,000 people and operates the Kotsovolos, Radio Athinae (brown and white goods and computers), and One Way brands (mobile telephony equipment).Their annual sales for year ending April 2006 were £263 million.

[edit] Computing Division

---

PC World

PC World is a specialist chain of computer superstores. The chain has 150 stores across the UK and a further 6 in Ireland employing a total of 5872 staff (2006). Their annual sales for year ending April 2006 was £1,369 million.

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

PC World Business

PC World Business, part of DSG international plc, is a leading specialist provider of IT solutions to business and the public sector.

The company employs in excess of 2,000 people and supplies products and services to more than one third of all UK businesses and public sector organisations.

PC World Business offers dedicated business account managers and highly-qualified technical experts to provide, manage and maintain business IT systems. As an independent reseller, the company boasts an unrivalled range of more than 100,000 products, all detailed in the industry-respected "Definitive Buyers' Guide".

The company has specialist Business Centres in each of more than 150 PC World stores across the country, offering immediate access to around 50,000 products. In addition, the company offers access to its whole range – many with next day delivery — from its web site, by telephone and through a direct fax service.

PC City

PC City exists in continental Europe as an extension of the group's PC World chain. Beginning with the acquisition of Ei System in Spain, the company has expanded in the intervening years and now has a presence in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Sweden.

The TechGuys

The TechGuys is a merger of the repair division of the former Mastercare and PC ServiceCall, which provides IT technical support on PCs and technical repair services on home entertainment for customers of the companies under the DSG international plc umbrella. The TechGuys Commercial brand was used for supporting business products sold through its PC World Business Company. The TechGuys is also the name given to the PC World in-store technical and data engineers. The Nottingham-based TechGuys call centre is presently run by Capita, although this is the only part of the operation that is not presently run directly by DSGi. The field engineers, workshops etc have not been affected by this change. In mid-2007, stand-alone stores, offering component and computer sales, in addition to on-site and in-store service options, were opened under The TechGuys branding. In February 2008, these stores were closed and the staff merged back into PC World. In April 2008 the Commercial arm of the techguys was closed with PC World Business outsourcing it's Support services.
The TechGuys Support Site

Genesis

Genesis Communications is the UK's largest independent mobile service provider, operating in the business to business sector.

Acquired by the Dixons Stores Group in 2002, Genesis Communications has partnerships with the UK's major mobile networks, and offers a full wireless service, including hardware, customer account management and billing. Genesis is also the UK's leading supplier of wireless data services to the SME market, including 3G and Blackberry solutions.

The company was formed in 1995 and now has more than 35,000 business customers, 170,000 subscribers and over 500 employees.

Genesis has 12 regional offices across the UK and a state-of-the-art head office in Bury, Lancashire.

DSG Business Services

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

[edit] New Businesses Division

---

Dixons

The first Dixons photographic studio was located at 32 High Street, Southend. The business was incorporated as a private company called Dixon Studios Limited and registered on 27 October 1937. When the first studio opened in Southend, the shop front could accommodate a name of no more than six letters. The solution was found in the telephone directory - "Dixons" was short enough to fit over the door and from this beginning grew the Dixons Stores Group (now named DSG international plc).

In 2002 a new larger format of store was unveiled in Cardiff. The 'Dixons xL' stores were envisioned to be similar in size to a Currys Superstore, however only five stores were ever opened — the first being in Swansea, Wales.

On 5 April 2006, it was decided that all Dixons-branded retail stores were to be replaced by Currys.digital — an extension of Currys on the high street — with the intention of making the Dixons brand primarily an e-commerce business, allowing them to react to market changes more quickly. In 2006, Dixons was the first of the group's companies to extend its price promise to include on-line competitors. The Dixons name still remains as an online retailer, trading in Ireland (6 stores), and as a tax free airport outlet brand (21 stores) employing a total of 380 staff (2006). Their annual sales for year ending April 2006 were £680 million

Pixmania

Pixmania is a pan-European e-tailer of digital photographic and consumer electronic goods. It trades in 26 countries through bespoke transactional websites. It has four million customers and 1,600 employees. In 2006, DSG international plc acquired a controlling 77% stake in its parent company, Fotovista. In addition to Pixmania.com, the business includes mypix.com (a site specialising in online digital photo processing), primashop.com (childcare equipment) and e-merchant.com (a B2B service site enabling brands and retailers to run e-commerce businesses across Europe). Unaudited management accounts for the year ended 31 March 2006 show sales of over Euro 450 million.

In March 2007 DSG announced it has identified a "significant fraud operation" at the Parisian warehouse operations of Pixmania. They are estimated to have lost £8m worth of electronic goods. French police are currently investigating.^[7]

[edit] Subsidiaries

Coverplan

Coverplan is the extended warranty service available to most DSGi products through the call centre located in the Sheffield area and is currently run by Capita. This service insures alien products (items bought outside the DSGi group, though only within 1 year of the products original purchase date) and also issues new policies upon the necessity repair (known as repair and protect agreements)[3]. New policies can also be purchased for products bought from the Dixons website.

whateverhappens

whateverhappens is the rebranded successor of Coverplan within the Currys chain. Currys stopped selling Coverplan on 9 February 2005 launching the improved whateverhappens policy the next day as the replacement of Coverplan.

The product support is offered on most electrical purchases from Currys and now Currys.digital. For most small electrical items priced between £20 and £130, such as kettles, irons, toasters and printers, customers are offered the option of a three year cover that covers the product for instant replacement for 3 years which for some products will mean not having to wait for a faulty item to be repaired. The whateverhappens product support is also offered on more expensive electrical items such as large flat screen TVs, washing machines and American style fridge-freezers (although American style freezers are only insured when bought from DSGi). The product support also offers additional benefits to customers such as a guaranteed 2 working day callout for an engineer and a maximum of 21 days to complete a repair or a replacement if these promises cannot be kept to. Customers are also covered for accidental damage and no charges if the product is inspected, whether at home or instore, and found to be working perfectly.

The customer can choose to pay in monthly installments (PAYG), in one bulk payment or ten installments that total the bulk payment via Direct Debit or Credit Card Mandate.

Fotovista group

The French based FotoVista group was founded as Studio National in 1970 by brothers Pierre and Jean-Claude Rosenblum.

On April 12, 2006, DSG international plc gained a 75% interest by acquireing LMBO Group's controlling stake in the company and shares from the Rosenblum family and a handful of managers, for €266 million (approximately £185 million)[1]. Under the deal agreed, DSGi has an option to buy out the remaining 25 per cent from the family over the following three to five years. The acquisition was subject to approval by the European Union Competition Authority. After receiving approval the company completed the acquisition of 77% of the Fotovista Group for €261 million (approximately £184 million).

Partmaster.co.uk

Partmaster.co.uk (Formerley Partmaster Direct) offers a large range of accessories and spares for a massive range of products for the home. They cover all domestic appliances, computing, home enetertainment products such as TV's and DVD players, ipod, satellite navigation, gaming and mobile phones to list a few. Partmaster ranges more than 1.4 million spares and accessories and despatch next day from a distribution centre in Birmingham. Customers have the option to purchase online at www.partmaster.co.uk ,over the telephone on 0844 800 3456 or visit any one of the Currys or Currys Digital family of stores. Last year they despatched to over 250,000 customers nationwide. If consumers cannot find the item they require a search and find service is also available.

[edit] Former business brands and companies

Mastercare Commercial service

Mastercare Commercial Services offered IT services to the commercial IT industry. A call centre provided telephone and email support, and a team of field based technicians and engineers provided repairs to businesses on desktop PCs and laptops, insurance inspections for companies like Norwich Union, installed small, medium or large networks (ethernet or wireless) and were also involved with projects with Flagship (on behalf of the Royal Navy), the Meat Hygiene Service.

In late 2005 the company also began to offer a service to wall-mount slimline plasma and LCD televisions, and provide surveys for wall mounted or ceiling mounted projectors.

The whole of Mastercare Commercial service was rebranded and merged with The TechGuys in September 2006.

The Link

The Link is a UK mobile phone retailer of which, before June 2006, DSGi had a 60% stake, the other 40% being owned by O2 plc. The Link had, at its trading peak, 295 stores throughout the UK (as of January 2006).

In June 2006 DSGi sold the entirety of its stake in The Link to O2. O2, having the controlling stake in The Link, reported in August 2006 that it would rebrand just under 100 of the stores throughout the UK to O2 stores. The remaining stores would continue to trade under their current management structure until a new buyer for the stores could be sought.

As of November 2006, the majority of stores not rebranded as O2 stores had been sold to other mobile phone retailers and networks, such as Orange SA, T-Mobile, and The Carphone Warehouse. A number of stores in areas with little demand for further mobile phone retailers were either closed or sold to unrelated companies (such as Costa Coffee).

The Dixons group are still honouring all contracts that exist with The Link but are no longer issuing new insurance covers on mobile phones.

Freeserve

Dixons Stores Group (as they were known at the time) also founded the UK Internet Service Provider Freeserve, which was later purchased by Wanadoo, now a subsidiary of France Télécom, and rebranded as Wanadoo. Freeserve was one of the key internet bubble stocks in the UK, and Dixons made large profits by selling much of its stake close to the top of the market. Wanadoo has since been rebranded again in the UK under the Orange brand.

WHSU International Inc. (MicroWarehouse)

WHSU Inc. and WHSU International Inc. (together known as MicroWarehouse) filed Bankruptcy[4] on 9 October 2003, which ultimately lead to it being acquired by DSGi on 4 June 2004.

When MicroWarehouse was acquired by the Group, it became a division of PC World Business[5]. MicroWarehouse is one of the UK's largest and longest established direct resellers of branded IT products and services to business. MicroWarehouse owns and operates the domain names Inmac.co.uk, MacWarehouse.co.uk and MicroWarehouse.co.uk. All three are online computer hardware and software retailers.

[edit] Own brand products

Matsui Matsui is the brand name of a line of electrical items introduced in the 1980s.

• Matsui UK domestic trade mark information

Advent
Advent started out in 1982 under the name Saisho, and was later rebranded as Advent.

• Advent UK domestic trade mark information 1
• Advent UK domestic trade mark information 2

Ei System

Logik

• Logik UK domestic trade mark information

PC Line

• PC Line UK domestic trade mark information

Swordfish

• Swordfish UK domestic trade mark information 1
• Swordfish UK domestic trade mark information 2

Carlton

• Carlton UK domestic trade mark information 1
• Carlton UK domestic trade mark information 2
• Carlton UK domestic trade mark information 3

Miranda

• Miranda Trade mark information 1
• Miranda Trade mark information 2

Patriot

• Patriot Trade mark information

Freetalk

• Freetalk Trade mark information

Saisho

• Saisho Trade mark information

[edit] Corporate affairs

[edit] Corporate structure

[edit] President

Life President
Lord Kalms of Edgware (since 2002)

[edit] The Board

Sir John Collins, Chairman
John Browett, Chief Executive
Kevin O'Byrne, Group Finance Director
Count Emmanuel d'André, Non-Executive Director
Rita Clifton, Non-Executive Director
Andrew Lynch, Non-Executive Director
John Whybrow, Non-Executive Director

[edit] Senior Management

Ben Bengougam — Group Human Resources Director
Per Bjørgås — Group Managing Director — UK and International Electricals Division
Ronny Blomseth — Managing Director Elkjøp
Kai Boschmann — Group Director of Corporate Affairs
Geoffrey Budd — Company Secretary
Steve Campbell — European Managing Director, PC City
Corrado Colli — Managing Director, Business Development, Spain
Keith Jones — Managing Director — PC World Stores Group
Peter Keenan — Managing Director UK & Ireland Electricals
David Lloyd-Seed — Group Director of Investor Relations
Jerry Roest — Managing Director DSGi Business
Mark Rollmann — Managing Director UniEuro
Declan Ronayne — General Manager DSG Ireland Ltd
Steve Rosenblum — Divisional Director, e-commerce Division
Milan Ruzicka — Managing Director CE, Electro World
John Thorp — Group Chief Information Officer
Simon Turner — Group Buying Director
Fernando de Vicente — Managing Director Kotsovolos

[edit] Financial results

DSG International plc financial results

Fiscal Year	2007	2006	2005	2004	2003	2002	2001	2000	1999	1998
Fiscal Year End Date	28/04/07	29/04/06	30/04/05	01/05/04	03/05/03	27/04/02	28/04/01	29/04/00	01/05/99	02/05/98
Turnover £ 000,000	7,929.7	7,072.0	6,982	6,491	5,750.5	4,888.2	4,688.2	3,889.9	3,156.3	2,791.9
Profit before tax £ 000,000	295.1	302.9	336.8	366.2	278.6	282.3	647.1 *	472.1 *	231.3	213.3
Profit for the period £ 000,000	2.4	211.7	243.1	289.4	207.8	211.2	602.6	413.7	186.2	166.4
Basic eps (p)	10.9	11.7	12.6	14.4	10.7	11.0	31.5	22.5	41.1+	36.9+

*The above trend profits for 2000 and 2001 were primarily attributable
to profits on disposal of Freeserve shares. ⁺Pre stock split.

[edit] Annual Reports

• Annual Report 2006/2007
• Annual Report 2005/2006
• Annual Report 2004/2005
• Annual Report 2003/2004
• Annual Report 2002/2003
• Annual Report 2001/2002
• Annual Report 2000/2001
• Annual Report 1999/2000
• Annual Report 1998/1999

[edit] See also

• European Retail Round Table

[edit] External links

• DSG international plc
• Comparemore@Dixons.co.uk
• Dixons
• Dixons Tax Free
• Currys
• PC World
• PC World Business
• Genesis
• The TechGuys
• Partmaster.co.uk
• Pixmania
• Fotovista
• Elkjøp
• El Giganten (Sweden)
• El Giganten (Denmark)
• Gigantti
• Markantalo
• Elko
• Electro World (Hungary)
• Electro World (Czech Republic)
• Electro World (Poland)
• UniEuro
• Eldorado
• PC City (Spain)
• PC City (France)
• PC City (Italy)
• PC City (Sweden)
• About Eldorado in English

[edit] Footnotes

v • d • e DSG International Business Brands Dixons · Currys · Currys.digital · PC World · Gigantti · Elkjøp · Lefdal Lavpris · Pixmania · MacWarehouse · MicroWarehouse · Inmac · El Giganten · Elko · PC City · Kotsovolos · Markantalo · Hygena at Currys · Freeserve · Matsui · The Tech Guys Key people Lord Kalms of Edgware · Sir John Collins Annual revenue: £7,072 million GBP (▲% FY 2006) · Employees: 42,000+  · Stock symbol: LSE: DSGI · Website: dsgiplc.com

v • d • e FTSE 250 companies of the United Kingdom As of 30 April 2008. 3i Infrastructure · 888 Holdings · ARM Holdings · Aberdeen Asset Management · Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust · Aegis · Aga Rangemaster Group · Aggreko · Amlin · Aquarius Platinum · Aricom · Arriva · Ashmore Group · Ashtead Group · Assura Group · Atkins · Autonomy Corporation · Aveva · BBA Aviation · BSS Group · Babcock · Balfour Beatty · Bankers Investment Trust · Baring Emerging Europe · Barratt Developments · Beazley Group · Bellway · Benfield Group · Berkeley Group Holdings · Big Yellow Group · BlackRock World Mining Trust · Bluebay Asset Management · Bodycote International · Bovis Homes Group · Bradford & Bingley · Brit Insurance · British Assets Trust · British Empire Securities and General Trust · Britvic · Brixton · N Brown Group · Burberry · CSR · Caledonia Investments · Candover Investments · Capital & Regional · Carillion · Carpetright · Catlin Group · Cattles · Charter · Chemring Group · Chloride Group · City of London Investment Trust · Close Brothers Group · Collins Stewart · COLT Telecom Group · Connaught · Cookson Group · Croda International · Daejan Holdings · Daily Mail and General Trust · Dairy Crest Group · Dana Petroleum · Davis Service Group · De La Rue · Debenhams · Derwent London · Dexion Absolute · Dignity · Dimension Data Holdings · DSG International · Drax Group · Eaga · easyJet · Edinburgh Dragon Trust · The Edinburgh Investment Trust · Electra Private Equity · Electrocomponents · Enodis · Euromoney Institutional Investor · Expro International Group · F&C Asset Management · F&C Commercial Property Trust · FKI · Fenner · Ferrexpo · Fidelity European Values · Filtrona · Findel · Foreign & Colonial Eurotrust · Foreign & Colonial Investment Trust · Forth Ports · GKN · Galiform · Game Group · Gem Diamonds · Genus · Go-Ahead Group · Grainger · Great Portland Estates · Greene King · Greggs · HMV Group · Halfords Group · Halma · Hardy Oil and Gas · Hargreaves Lansdown · Hays · Headlam Group · Helical Bar · Henderson Group · Hikma Pharmaceuticals · Hiscox · Hochschild Mining · Homeserve · Hunting · IG Group Holdings · IMI · ITE Group · Impax Environmental Markets · Imperial Energy Corporation · Inchcape · Informa · Inmarsat · Intermediate Capital Group · International Ferro Metals · International Personal Finance · Interserve · Intertek Group · Invensys · Investec · JKX Oil & Gas · JPMorgan Emerging Markets Investment Trust · JPMorgan European Investment Trust · JPMorgan Fleming Mercantile Investment Trust · JPMorgan Indian Investment Trust · JPMorgan Russian Securities · Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group · Johnston Press · Keller · Kesa Electricals · Kier Group · Ladbrokes · Laird Group · Law Debenture · Logica · MITIE Group · Mapeley · Marshalls · Marston's · Meggitt · Melrose Resources · Merchants Trust · Michael Page International · Micro Focus International · Millennium & Copthorne Hotels · Misys · Mitchells & Butlers · Mondi · Moneysupermarket.com Group · Monks Investment Trust · Morgan Crucible · Morgan Sindall · Mouchel Group · Murray Income Trust · Murray International Trust · National Express Group · Northern Foods · Northgate · Northumbrian Water · PZ Cussons · PartyGaming · PayPoint · Pennon Group · Perpetual Income & Growth Investment Trust · Petrofac · Premier Farnell · Premier Foods · Premier Oil · Provident Financial · PV Crystalox Solar · Punch Taverns · QinetiQ · Quintain Estates and Development · RIT Capital Partners · RPS Group · Randgold Resources · Rank Group · Rathbone Brothers · Real Estate Opportunities · Redrow · Regus Group · Renishaw · Rentokil Initial · Rightmove · Rotork · SIG · SSL International · SVG Capital · Savills · Scottish Investment Trust · Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust · SEGRO · Senior · Serco Group · Shaftesbury · Shanks Group · Signet Group · Smith (DS) · SOCO International · Southern Cross Healthcare · Spectris · Speedy Hire · Spirax-Sarco Engineering · Spirent · Sports Direct · St.James's Place Capital · St.Modwen Properties · Stagecoach Group · Talvivaara Mining Company · Taylor Nelson Sofres · Taylor Wimpey · Telecity Group · Temple Bar Investment Trust · Templeton Emerging Markets Investment Trust · Tomkins · TR Property Investment Trust · Travis Perkins · Trinity Mirror · Tullett Prebon · UK Coal · UK Commercial Property Trust · Ultra Electronics Holdings · UNITE Group · United Business Media · VT Group · Venture Production · Victrex · W H Smith · WSP Group · Weir Group · Wellstream · Wetherspoon (J D) · William Hill · Wincanton · Witan Investment Trust · Workspace Group · Xchanging · Yell Group ·

v • d • e European Retail Round Table Members ASDA Wal-Mart · C&A · Carrefour · Delhaize Group · DSG International · El Corte Inglés · H&M · IKEA · Inditex · Kingfisher · Marks & Spencer · METRO AG · Royal Ahold · Tesco Annual revenue €350 billion EUR · Employees 2.1 million · Website errt.org