Early years
Dixons was founded as a photographic studio by Charles Kalms and Michael Mindel in High Street in Southend under the name of Dixons Studios Limited, a company registered in October 1937 with a share capital of £100.[3] The name Dixons, selected randomly from the telephone directory, was sufficiently short to fit above the small shop front.[3] In the early 1940s, Dixons set up seven studios around London but by the end of the Second World War the business had been reduced to a single studio in Edgware.[3] Stanley Kalms, the son of the founder, joined the business in 1948 and started advertising direct sales in the press, with postal ordering and delivery.[3]
In 1950, the company began to sell cameras. In 1957, it opened a head office to house the staff now dealing with 60,000 mail order customers and to centralise buying.[4]
Dixons was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1962, changing its name at that time to Dixons Photographic Limited.[5] It bought out competitors Ascotts in 1962, and Bennetts in 1964.[5] In 1967, Dixons bought an 85000 sqft colour film processing laboratory in Stevenage.[5] Charles Kalms was succeeded by his son Stanley in 1971.[6] In 1972, Dixons bought another competitor, Wallace Heaton, and in 1974, it opened its Stevenage distribution centre.[6]
1980s and 1990s
In 1984 Dixons acquired Currys, a retail chain with 570 shops selling electrical and other household goods; Currys retained its separate brand identity.[7]
In February 1993, Dixons bought Vision Technology Group (VTG), operating under the PC World brand at Croydon, Lakeside Shopping Centre, Brentford and Staples Corner.[8] Later that year, the company sold VTG's mail order division, Dixons US Holdings Inc and Supasnaps.[8] The company opened its first duty free store at Heathrow Terminal 3 in 1994, and later that year launched phone store The Link, the company's first venture into communications. The head office moved to Hemel Hempstead.[8]
2000s
In October 2002, Dixons bought UniEuro, an Italian-based electrical retailer,[10] and Genesis Communications, a mobile phone service provider.[11] The company opened its first Electro World store in Hungary in February 2002.[12] In October 2005, Dixons Group plc changed its name to DSG International plc.[13]
Further potential expansion came in April 2005, when DSGi bought an interest in Eldorado Group, the largest electrical retailer in Russia and Ukraine, with an option to buy the rest by 2011 for US$1.9 billion (about £1 billion GBP).[14] This option was not pursued, DSGi withdrawing their interest in April 2007.[15]
2010s
In May 2010, the company secured almost exclusive rights to sell the Apple iPad.[19] In June 2010, DSGi changed its name to Dixons Retail plc.[20]
Merger with Carphone Warehouse
In May 2014, Dixons announced a merger, that soon came to pass, with Carphone Warehouse; the combined company would have market capitalisation of around £3.8 billion.[21] Dixons thus became a wholly owned subsidiary of Dixons Carphone Holdings Limited, and was renamed to Dixons Retail Group plc.[22] Sebastian James, who had been Dixons CEO since 2012, was appointed as CEO of Dixons Carphone.[21]
