Virgin Cars
 | |
| Company type | Limited |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive industry |
| Founded | May 2000 United Kingdom |
| Founder | Richard Branson Ian Lancaster |
| Defunct | December 22, 2005 |
| Headquarters | 120 Campden Hill Road, , |
Number of locations | Salford Quays, City of Salford (Showroom) |
Area served | United Kingdom |
| Parent | Virgin Group |
| Website | www.virgincars.com (via archive.org) |
Virgin Cars Ltd was an internet automobile retailer, established by British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson and co-founded by Ian Lancaster in May 2000 as part of the Virgin brand of companies.
Branson predicted the company would sell 24,000 cars in its first year, with a £300m turnover.[1] The company had sold more than 2,000 cars by October 2000 and generated £30 million.[2] In July 2001, the company launched a subsidiary, Virgin Bikes.[3]
By 2003, the company had still sold only 12,000 cars.[4] In May of that year, Branson opened Virgin Cars’ first showroom in Salford, Greater Manchester. Virgin Cars were looking for an aftersales partner by October 2003, as the firm were in favour of signing an agreement with one national partner.[5]
The company stopped all operations on 22 December 2005 and subsequently ceased trading.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ Brabbs, Cordella (25 May 2000). "Virgin Cars aims for £300m sales". Marketing.
- ^ "Branson launches Virgin Cars at Motor Show". PR Newswire. 17 October 2000.
- ^ "Virgin Cars". Marketing Week. 5 July 2001.
- ^ "RICHARD BRANSON'S FAILS: 14 Virgin Companies That Went Bust". Business Insider. 21 April 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
- ^ "Virgin Cars looks for aftersales partner". motortrader.com. 31 October 2003. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
- ^ "Virgin Cars ceases trading". fleetnews.co.uk. 5 January 2006. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
External links[edit]
- Virgin Cars at the Wayback Machine (archived 21 December 2005)
 | This article about a retailer in the United Kingdom is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- Virgin Group
- Automotive companies of the United Kingdom
- Defunct companies based in London
- Retail companies established in 2000
- Internet properties established in 2000
- Transport companies established in 2000
- Retail companies disestablished in 2005
- 2000 establishments in England
- 2005 disestablishments in England
- United Kingdom retail company stubs