[8] During the 1980s, the business divested much of its physical retail and manufacturing subsidiaries under Leonard Wolfson to concentrate on mail order, property and finance.

[13] In 1931, Isaac Wolfson was invited to join the company as merchandise controller after impressing director George Rose at a trade fair in Manchester, accepting no wages in return of share options.

Wolfson grew GUS by offering 'A' ordinary shares, which had no voting rights,[15][16] or by selling the premises and leasing it back.

[20][21] The company further expanded the mail order business during the 1960s by buying rivals Bollin House (1961),[20] Dyson and Horsfall (1962)[20] and Chorlton Warehouse (1963).

[36] This was increased by Swedish catalogue Hallens I. Barrasford which was purchased in 1966[37][38] and the Austrian mail order firm Universal Versand in 1968.

[46] In 1946, a Working Party report stated its concerns about GUS purchases:[46] A large group has recently acquired control of several well known multiple house furnishing businesses and now owns 480 stores throughout the country.

[57][9] In 1937, Charley Nicholls, the part owner of New Universal Stores sold his shares to Zellers, the Canadian retailer,[58] who took over management of the chain and renamed it Hills & Steele.

[64] GUS subsidiary, Kays purchased the Kidderminster store Attwoods,[65] while in 1954 Bladons of Hull[49][48] and Jones & Higgins Peckham were acquired.

[71][72] Other department stores acquired during this time included Butterfield and Massies of Barnsley,[49][73] Webbers of Maidenhead,[74] Wickhams[49] and Pyne Brothers both of London.

These included W. Brydson & Co of Perth,[75] Evans and Allen of Newport,[76] Garrett & Co of Woolwich,[76][77] Rees Howell in Glamorgan,[75] R. W. Pritchard in Shepherd's Bush,[61] the Taylor-Nottidge Group which included the subsidiaries:[61] F. Taylor & Sons (Lambeth), J. T. Nottidge (Islington), Gergels (Gravesend), Beck Jones (Lewisham), John Williams & Co (Rotherhithe), Heywoods (Manor Park).

[20] The business was grown by adding more stores, as well as purchasing further DIY retailers Great Clowes Discount Warehouse,[89][90][91] and Home Charm.

[76] Two years later GUS purchased the multiple retailer Morrisons Associated Companies, which included its subsidiaries,[20][99][75][100] Ashley Russell;[20] Audrey;[75] Cliftons;[99][75] Edgar Allen;[75] Graftons;[20][75] Irene Adair[99] and Paige.

The first purchase was in 1956 when they acquired the Flateau Group, which included the subsidiaries[110] Henry Playfair, Metropole Shoes and the Metropolitan Boot Co.

[115][116] Great Universal Stores expanded into the High Street electrical retail market in 1948 by buying Boyds, a radio and television retailerand rental company.

[20][117] This area of the business was further expanded by 1955 with the purchase of W H Barnes,[69] but it was not until 1971 that further expansion occurred with the purchase of J & F Stone Lighting and Radio Ltd.[117][118] The 100 stores of the J & F Stone brand were sold in 1975 to Thorn Electrical Industries who combined them into their existing Rumbelows chain,[119] while Boyds was sold to the Electronics Rental Group in 1974.

[120][121] GUS developed its manufacturing businesses in the 1950s, with products including clothing, bedding, upholstery, textiles and pottery.

[3] A joint venture started in 1984 between commercial delivery firm Lex Wilkinson and GUS Transport, better known as White Arrow.

[122] During the 1980s, Leonard Wolfson divested much of the companies retail and manufacturing business, to concentrate on mail order, Burberry, finance and property sectors.

[125] In 1997, Great Universal Stores appointed Rose Marie Bravo as the new CEO of Burberry given the task of improving the company, which had been hit by the Asian crisis.

[126] The company acquired Argos in 1998 in a hostile takeover bid[127][19] and the UK's second largest online retailer at the time, Jungle.com, in 2000 for £37 million.

In November 2002, Homebase was acquired by GUS plc for £900 million, where it formed part of the Argos Retail Group.

[129] From early in the year the Home Shopping division also embarked on a successful turnaround strategy helped by advisers managed by Rob Wherrett of Zymolysis.

[143] In 1949, GUS applied to the UK government asking to extend their dollar facilities to £750,000 to invest in the US to increase the sale of British goods.

[154] Great Universal was a large shareholder in British Caledonian Airways,[155] and Global formed a strong partnership with a time charter arrangement.

[159] In 1985, as part of Leonard Wolfsons divesting plans, Global, along with its brands Overland and Golden Circle were sold to rival tour company Intasun.

[160] GUS Property divisions started out as an investment company developing modern office blocks, including Dale Street in Manchester,[161] Chatworth House,[162] and in partnership with Gerald Ronson.

It was such a success that it was offered to other parts of the GUS group, and it grew and developed into direct marketing, credit management and store cards.

[180] In 1986, CCN bought US business MDS (Management Decision Systems), a specialist company developing credit scoring models.

[186][175] Its luxury brand The Scotch House was put up for sale, but no buyer could be found and so the business was closed down in 2001 and its Knightsbridge store transferred to Burberry.

[193] This included the iconic Great Universal Stores catalogue, from which the company took its name, and completed the departure of GUS from its original business areas.