Former type Public company Defunct 2005 Founded 1994 Ceased operations 2005 | Industry Retail Products Computers Number of employees 1,600 | |
Key people Tahir Mohsan (Founder) (Director, 1994–2005) | ||
Granville Technology Group Ltd was a British computer retailer and manufacturer based in Simonstone, near Burnley, Lancashire, marketing its products under the brand names Time, Tiny, Colossus, and MJN.
Contents
It sold mainly through mail-order, though late in its life, the firm added a chain of shops in the United Kingdom that traded as The Computer Shop, and rapidly grew to over 300 stores. The main competitors were PC World, Comet, and Maplin.
History
Formerly known as Time Group, the company was formed in 1994, by Tahir Mohsan.
The manufacturing unit was located at Time Technology Park, in Simonstone. The company produced computers under the Tiny and Time Computers brands, although tracing the ownership of these brands later proved difficult for administrators Grant Thornton due to the group's convoluted and opaque ownership structure.
In June 2003, in the year ending, the group made profits of £2.5m before tax with a turnover of £207m, and sold nearly 20 million personal computers. The company went into receivership on 27 July 2005, due to the fall in demand for personal computers. That month, it employed 1,600 people, and was one of the largest retailers of computers in the United Kingdom.
Time UK
Time UK (a.k.a. Time Computers) was the main supplier for Granville Technology, and was the actual manufacturer of products resold by Granville: computers, notebooks, and flat screen televisions. The company supported consumers who purchased Time products from Granville Technology Group Ltd. The company’s manufacturing plant and headquarter was based at Simonstone, Lancashire, in the private industrial park, the Time Technology Park, named after its brand.
With a turnover of £750 million during the 1990s, the firm became Britain’s largest computer manufacturer, by establishing its market in the United Kingdom, Middle East, and the Far East. It was selling computers through retailers, and a chain of stores, The Computer Shop, which was established by Granville Technology Group.
Mohsan subdivided the company into Time Computers and Time Computer Systems, in order to segregate manufacturing and retailing. The company went into administration on 27 July 2005. In March 2006, the brand was rebranded as Time UK.
The Time UK television commercials used a duo entitled Dr. Apocalypse & Egore, an "outer space" duo. Another advert used Leonard Nimoy, of Star Trek fame, who reprised his Mr. Spock character. Before the adverts starring Dr. Apocalypse & Egore. Time UK released a campaign with the slogan: we're on your side. The adverts involved a man, bearing a resemblance to Greg Pope, as a computer salesman.