Industry Media Headquarters London, United Kingdom Ceased operations 1991 | Defunct 1991 Founded 1964 | |
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Fate Went into administration Key people Robert Maxwell (Chairman) | ||
Maxwell Communication Corporation plc was a leading British media business. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
History
The Company was established in 1964 when Hazell Sun merged with Purnell & Sons to form the British Printing Corporation. In 1967 the British Printing Corporation merged its magazines into Haymarket Group. During the 1970s the British Printing Corporation was involved in many disputes with trade unions. In 1978 such a dispute led to The Times and Sunday Times not being published for 10 months.
In July 1981 Robert Maxwell launched a dawn raid on the Company acquiring a stake of 29%; the following year he secured full control of it. He changed the name of the Company to British Printing & Communications Corporation in March 1982 and to Maxwell Communication Corporation in October 1987.
The Company acquired Macmillan Publishers, a large US publisher, in 1988. It went on to buy Science Research Associates and the Official Airline Guide later that year.
The Company went into administration in 1991 following the death of Robert Maxwell. Its properties were sold to various media companies.