• Overview/Key facts
• Mission
• History
• Management team

Findel plc History

 

1962      Fine Art Developments Limited floated on the Birmingham Stock Exchange. The group's principal activities were the design and manufacture of greeting cards and gift wrap together with a mail order service for national charities and fund raising

 

1965      Entered the general mail order market with its first catalogue, offering products sold via agents to the consumer market

 

1982      Far East buying office established in Hong Kong

 

1989      Entered educational supplies market through acquisition of Hestair Hope

 

1992      State of the art £40m automated warehousing facility opened in Accrington

 

1996      Strategically, group focus moved to Direct mail order from declining Agency mail order and substantially increase the product offering, together with the provision of extended credit to the customer base

 

1997      The group demerged into two distinct businesses: Fine Art Developments plc with sales of £235m retaining Mail Order and Education, and Creative Publishing plc with sales of £149m acquiring the card, giftwrap and stationery manufacturing operations

 

1998      Creative publishing plc acquired by Hallmark Cards for consideration of £188m

 

2000      Fine Art Developments changed its name to Findel plc

 

2001      The charity mail order division was sold to an MBO team for £20m

 

2001      Novara plc, a rival educational supplies business, was acquired for a total consideration of £57.4m

 

2003      Acquisition of three further educational supplies businesses for a total consideration of £7.1m

 

2004      Acquisition of GLS Educational supplies for consideration of £26,9m

 

2005      Findel announced new records for sales £458m

 

2006      Findel announces strategic intiative to develop new Cash with Order division and acquires Letterbox, I Want One of Those, Kitbag and purchases remaining shares in Confetti Network. Kleeneze also added to Home Shopping Division

 

2007      The Cotswold Company enhances the Cash with Order business. Philograph Publications Limited Group (Philip & Tacey Ltd in the UK and Didax Inc in the USA) was purchased for £1.3m cash consideration. Philograph Publications Limited Group (Philip & Tacey Ltd in the UK and Didax Inc in the USA) was purchased for £1.3m cash consideration. Synergy Managed Equipment Services Limited (SMES) was purchased for a debt free maximum cash consideration of £1.4m. style="mso-spacerun: yes">  SMES provides a managed wheelchair products and support service to the healthcare market

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