Maxwell Communications Corporation

Maxwell Communications Corporation plc

Industry	Media
Fate	Went into administration
Founded	1964
Defunct	1991
Headquarters	London, UK
Key people	Robert Maxwell (Chairman)

Maxwell Communications 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.^[1] In 1967 it acquired a majority stake in Haymarket Group from Michael Heseltine.^[2] During the 1970s the Company was involved in many disputes with trade unions.^[3] In 1978 such a dispute led to The Times and Sunday Times not being published for 10 months.^[3]

In July 1981 Robert Maxwell launched a dawn raid on the Company acquiring a stake of 29%; the following year he secured full contol of it.^[3] He changed the name of the Company to British Printing & Communications Corporation in March 1982 and to Maxwell Communications Corporation in October 1987.

The Company acquired Macmillan Publishers, a large US publisher, in 1988.^[4] It went on to buy Science Research Associates and the Official Airline Guide later that year.^[5]

The Company went into administration in 1991 following the death of Robert Maxwell.^[6] Its properties were sold to various media companies.

References

1. ^ National archives
2. ^ Haymarket: Timeline
3. ^ ^{a b c} Peter Robinson, Chairman and CEO, Obituary The Times, 15 November 2007
4. ^ Maxwell Lifts Macmillan Takeover Bid to $86.80 a Share New York Times, 16 September 1988
5. ^ Airline Guide being sold to Maxwell New York Times, 31 October 1988
6. ^ Bankruptcy Explanation By Maxwell New York Times, 18 December 1991