# 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 launches Mates condoms in the UK to promote condoms to young adults
* 1988 – Virgin re-opens the recently acquired and re-modelled 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

* 1990 – Virgin arrives in Japan
* 1991 – Virgin Publishing (Virgin Books) is formed
* 1992 – Virgin Records is sold to Thorn EMI
* 1993 - Virgin Vision is bought by PolyGram for $5.6 million
* 1993 – Virgin Radio hits the airwaves with Virgin 1215AM
* 1994 – Launch of Virgin Vodka and Virgin Cola
* 1995 - Discretely invests in AirTicketsDirect
* 1995 – Virgin Direct Personal Financial Services opens for business
* 1995 – Virgin Express a European low cost Airline is launched in Brussels after the purchase and rebranding of EBA Express
* 1996 – V2 Music is created
* 1996 – Virgin.Net launches
* 1996 – Virgin Brides launches
* 1996 – Virgin Group becomes majority shareholders in London Broncos rugby league team
* 1997 – Virgin CrossCountry and Virgin Trains West Coast commence operations
* 1997 – Majority shareholding in Virgin Radio is sold to Chris Evans
* 1997 – Virgin Cosmetics launches
* 1998 – 49% stake in Virgin Rail Group sold to Stagecoach Group
* 1999 – Virgin Mobile launches Virgin's first telecoms venture
* 1999 – Virgin Active Launches in South Africa, UK and Italy
* 1999 – Majority shareholding in London Broncos is sold to David Hughes
* 1999 – 49% shareholding in Virgin Atlantic sold to Singapore Airlines

## 2000s

* 2000 – Virgin launches Australian airline Virgin Blue (now called Virgin Australia)
* 2000 – Virgin sells Rushes Postproduction to Ascent Media – then Liberty Livewire
* 2000 – Virgin launches Virgin Energy
* 2000 – Virgin launches Virgin Cars
* 2002 - Virgin Interactive Espania SA splits from Virgin Interactive and re-brands as Virgin Play
* 2004 – Virgin launches Virgin Galactic
* 2005 – Virgin Express merges with Sn Brussels Airlines to form Brussels Airlines. Virgin retains minority share.
* 2005 – Virgin Active UK acquires Holmes Place
* 2006 – Virgin announces Virgin Fuel, a new company to produce a clean fuel in the future
* 2006 – Virgin Active Spain is Launched
* 2007 – Virgin Active Portugal is Launched
* 2007 – Virgin launches Virgin Health Bank
* 2007 – Virgin launches Virgin Media
* 2007 – Virgin launches Virgin America
* 2007 – Virgin buys 20% stakes in AirAsia X
* 2007 – Sells Virgin Megastore in the UK and Ireland to Zavvi
* 2007 – Virgin Media Television Launches Virgin 1
* 2007 – Closes Virgin Digital in the UK (Virgin now sells music downloads through Virgin Media's website)
* 2007 – Virgin Fuel US$400 million in Virgin Atlantic jet flight on biofuels and in renewable energy.
* 2007 – Virgin Money becomes preferred bidder for acquisition of Northern Rock (and is eventually successful).
* 2007 – Virgin Radio Italia launches in Italy in joint venture with Finelco.
* 2007 – Virgin CrossCountry ceases after franchise lost to Arriva CrossCountry
* 2008 – Virgin Australia Airlines offers competitive prices between Australia and Los Angeles. Known as V Australia due to naming rights.
* 2008 – Virgin launches Virgin Healthcare
* 2009 – Virgin launches Virgin Money Giving

## 2010s

* 2010 – Virgin launches Virgin Racing, a Formula One team previously known as Manor Grand Prix
* 2010 – Virgin launches Virgin Gaming, a service for people of all skill levels to play competitively on popular video games.
* 2010 – Virgin launches Virgin Produced, a film and television development, packaging and production company based in Los Angeles, California.
* 2010 – Virgin launches Project, a digital magazine created exclusively for Apple Inc's iPad.
* 2010 – Virgin Money buys Church House Trust
* 2012 – Virgin Money buys Northern Rock
* 2012 – Virgin Galactic announces the development of orbital space launch system LauncherOne.
* 2013 – Virgin Media sold to Liberty Global
* 2015 – Virgin Trains East Coast commences operating the InterCity East Coast franchise, Virgin Group hold a 10% shareholding
* 2016 – Virgin launches Virgin Voyages; Virgin Radio Jakarta launches in May 2016, replacing Ninety Niners FM. The station was owned by MPG Media
* 2017 – Virgin invested in Hyperloop One; Branson joined its board of directors, and in December 2017 became its chairman.
* 2018 – Virgin invests in Brightline trains in Florida, USA. The system is briefly named Virgin Trains USA.
* 2018 – Virgin Trains East Coast ceases trading
* 2019 – Virgin purchases Flybe through the consortium Connect Airways, Flybe is subsequently renamed Virgin Connect.
* 2019 – Virgin Trains West Coast ceases after InterCity West Coast franchise lost to Avanti West Coast
* 2024 – Hyperloop One, formerly Virgin Hyperloop, is dissolved and sells its assets.