ITV plc
A merger designed to dominate UK TV instead built too many studios and closed too many offices — proving scale without synergy is just overhead with a press release.
Britain
An island that ran the world and has been adjusting ever since.
- 9
- in business
- 10:19
- average
- 93 min
- in total
- 131
- across the network
All briefs
Morrisons
William Morrison · 1899
Morrisons is a UK supermarket chain founded in 1899 as an egg and butter stall in Rawson Market, Bradford. It grew regionally until the 2004 Safeway acquisition gave it national reach across Great Britain and one store in Gibraltar. As of 2021, it operated 497 stores, employed 110,000 people, and served ~11 million customers weekly. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until its October 2021 acquisition by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice. Since then, it has struggled financially and fallen to fifth place in UK market share (8.6%), overtaken by Aldi in September 2022.
Rupert Murdoch
Murdoch didn’t build a media empire — he hacked national media regulations, one citizenship and one tabloid at a time.
Sky UK
Sky UK isn’t a tech disruptor — it’s a licensed gatekeeper that built scale by merging distribution, content and connectivity under one bill.
Three UK
Three UK proved that regulatory compliance can substitute for scale — but only until the network shuts down.
Vodafone
Vodafone is not a tech innovator—it’s a licensing and balance-sheet play on mobile ubiquity.
British Airways
Albert Stanley · 1919
British Airways is the UK’s flag carrier, formed by state merger in 1974, privatised in 1987, and folded into IAG in 2011. It is the largest UK airline by fleet and international reach. It was the first passenger airline to earn over $1 billion on a single route in a year. It has a documented reputation for poor staff conduct, arbitrary service changes, and refusing compensation claims.
Sainsbury's
John James Sainsbury · 1869
Sainsbury’s is the second-largest UK supermarket chain. It was the largest UK grocery retailer for most of the 20th century. It was founded in 1869 as a partnership by John James Sainsbury and Mary Ann Sainsbury at 173 Drury Lane in London. It began selling fresh foods and later expanded into packaged groceries. Its founding philosophy was 'Quality perfect, prices lower'. It used distinctive cast-iron signage, offered home delivery, and prioritised centrally located shops for better display and cooling before refrigeration existed. It grew to 128 stores by 1928 and remained a family business throughout Sainsbury’s lifetime. He served as Chairman and Governing Director from incorporation in 1922 until his death in 1928.
Tesco
Jack Cohen · 1919
Tesco is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. It was founded in 1919 by Sir Jack Cohen in Hackney, London, beginning with a market stall selling war-surplus groceries. The Tesco brand emerged in 1924 from supplier initials and Cohen’s surname. The first dedicated shop opened in 1931 in Edgware. It was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1947. It pioneered self-service (1948) and supermarket formats (1956). Cohen’s core business method was 'pile it high and sell it cheap' and the motivational internal motto 'YCDBSOYA'.