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 United States.

Career

In 1967, Murray entered the family business REW Audio Visual Plc and was joint managing director from 1975 to 1979. He went on to sell the company to Thorn-EMI Plc for £3.5 million in 1979, becoming a divisional director there until 1982.[1] He founded Vision Technology Group Plc in 1982, which became the largest mail order computer supplier in the United Kingdom, with an annual turnover of £35 million.

Murray founded PC World Plc in November 1991; the first computer superstore chain in the world, outside the United States. Within twenty four months of starting up, he had opened the four largest flagship stores around London, attaining an annual turnover of £50 million by April 1992.[2]

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

He sold Internet Technology Group Plc to Concentric Corp. (Nasdaq.CNCX)/Nexlink Corporation (Nasdaq.NXLK) for $250 million in September 1999; the largest sale of an independent ISP in the United Kingdom.[4][5] Since 2000, Murray has invested in technology start ups via investment vehicle Nebula Associates Ltd. In 2005, he acquired 25% of Skyguard Technology Ltd, a lone worker protection provider.

He went on to form the Send For Help Group, which acquired Skyguard in March 2010. The Send For Help Group purchased Guardian24 in December 2014, which led the group to become the largest lone worker protection service in the world, with a combined subscriber base of over 100,000 users.[6] Murray featured in 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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