PC World

PC World was a British retail chain of mass market computer megastores. Established in November 1991, it became part of Dixons Retail in February 1993, and then part of Dixons Carphone, after the merger of Dixons Retail and Carphone Warehouse in August 2014. All of its physical shops in the United Kingdom traded under the combined "Currys PC World" brand, although this was retired in October 2021, after which point the company became known simply as “Currys”. History In November 1991, Vision Technology Group Ltd, led by Jan Murray, opened the first PC World shop in Purley Way, Croydon. Jan Murray attained an annual turnover of £50 million by April 1992, after he had opened the four largest flagship stores around London. In February 1993, when Dixons Group plc (now Dixons Carphone) purchased the chain, there were four PC World shops in existence. There followed a period of expansion, as more shops were opened across the country. This expansion was partly driven by a series of acquisitions, beginning with DN Computer Services in November 1996, followed by Byte Computer Superstores Ltd in April 1998, and MicroWarehouse in June 2004. In November 1997, singer Gary Glitter took a laptop into a branch of PC World in Bristol for repair, where child abuse imagery was found by staff, who informed the police and Glitter was subsequently charged and found guilty of possessing child pornography. This conviction severely damaged Glitter's reputation, and effectively ended his career in the music business.