By 1904 the company had stores across South Africa and continued to expand to meet demand for news during World War I.

The company was floated on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in 1903 to raise £120,000[3] (equivalent to £129,500,000 in 2017 based on its economic share).

Shortly after World War II the company expanded by opening outlets in Rhodesia (present day Zimbabwe).

The company acquired South African cinema chain Nu Metro in 1990 and proceeded to fully buy it out in 1992.

[5] A difficult retail market for stationery and books in the mid to late 1990s and internal restructuring put the company under financial pressure.