Virgin Cars
 | |
| Company type | Limited |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive industry |
| Founded | 2000 United Kingdom |
| Founder | Richard Branson Ian Lancaster |
| Defunct | 2005 |
| Headquarters | 120 Campden Hill Road,, United Kingdom |
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 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] By October 2000, the company had sold more than 2,000 cars, generating £30 million.[2] In 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.
In 2005, the company stopped all operations and ceased trading.[5]
References
- ^ 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 Homepage after closing". Archived from the original on 1 January 2006. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
External links
- Virgin Cars at the Wayback Machine (archived December 21, 2005)
