The Entertainer (Amersham) Ltd.
The Entertainer (Amersham) Limited is a British toy retailer, founded in 1981 by Catherine and Gary Grant. It is based in Amersham, the town of its first location. As of November 2024, the retailer has 166 stores across the United Kingdom, Jersey, the Isle of Man, as well as some franchises in Asian territories. It operates a concession partnership with the supermarket chain, Tesco, with 850 concessions in the UK and Ireland. The retailer has had an online business since 1999, called TheToyShop.com. History In 1981, married couple Catherine and Gary Grant took over The Pram and Toy Bar in Amersham, with Catherine coming up with 'The Entertainer' as its new trading name. In 1985, they purchased their second shop, located in Beaconsfield. In April 1991, ten years after the acquisition of the toy shop in Amersham, the chain opened its third shop in Slough. The company then underwent massive expansion and, by 2001, the chain had opened its 25th shop, located in the Victoria Cent ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Companies House
Companies House is the executive agency of the British Government that maintains the Company register, register of companies, employs the company registrars and is responsible for Incorporation (business), incorporating all forms of Company, companies in the United Kingdom. Prior to 1844, no central company register existed and Company, companies could only be Incorporation (business), incorporated through letters patent and Act of Parliament (UK), legislation. At the time, few incorporated companies existed; between 1801 and 1844, only about 100 companies were incorporated. The Joint Stock Companies Act 1844 created a centralised register of companies, enabled companies to be incorporated by registration, and established the office of the registrar; the Joint Stock Companies Act 1856 mandated separate registrars for each of the three Jurisdictions of the United Kingdom, UK jurisdictions. Initially just a brand, Companies House became an official executive agency in 1988. All P ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Early Learning Centre
The Early Learning Centre (ELC) is a British retailer that sells toys aimed at younger children. It is part of The Entertainer (through its parent company TEAL Group Holdings). It was a subsidiary of Mothercare until 2019. History The original shop opened in 1974 on London Street, Reading, Berkshire. The business was started by John Richard Beale. The mail order department was in the basement. Beale employed the services of a child psychologist to ensure that the toys and books were of a positive and educational value to children. The clever and unique concept was for parents to join as a member, new sets of educational toys/books were then sent to them regularly. If they decided to keep the items, they would pay via their account. If they returned the items, they would not be charged. It proved very successful and within a year, much larger premises in Silver Street Reading were obtained. Beale's partner was an accountant named David so Beale used his middle name, John, t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lord's Day
In Christianity, the Lord's Day refers to Sunday, the traditional day of communal worship. It is the first day of the week in the Hebrew calendar and traditional Christian calendars. It is observed by most Christians as the weekly memorial of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is said to have been raised from the dead early on the first day of the week. The phrase appears only once in of the New Testament. According to Roger T. Beckwith, Beckwith, Christians held corporate worship on Sunday in the 1st century (''First Apology of Justin Martyr, First Apology''chapter 67. On 3 March 321, Constantine the Great legislated rest on the pagan holiday Sunday (''dies Solis'').Given the 7th day of March, Crispus and Constantine being consuls each of them for the second time. Codex Justinianus, lib. 3, tit. 12, 3; translated by Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. 3 (1902), p. 380, note. Before the Early Middle Ages, the Lord's Day became associated with Sabbath in Christ ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Christians
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title (), a translation of the Biblical Hebrew term '' mashiach'' () (usually rendered as ''messiah'' in English). While there are diverse interpretations of Christianity which sometimes conflict, they are united in believing that Jesus has a unique significance. The term ''Christian'' used as an adjective is descriptive of anything associated with Christianity or Christian churches, or in a proverbial sense "all that is noble, and good, and Christ-like." According to a 2011 Pew Research Center survey, there were 2.3 billion Christians around the world, up from about 600 million in 1910. Today, about 37% of all Christians live in the Americas, about 26% live in Europe, 24% live in sub-Saharan Afric ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Asda
Asda Stores Limited (), trading as Asda and often styled as ASDA, is a British supermarket and petrol station chain. Its headquarters is in Leeds, England. The company was incorporated as Associated Dairies and Farm Stores in 1949. It expanded into Southern England during the 1970s and 1980s, and acquired Allied Carpets, 61 large Gateway Supermarkets and other businesses, such as MFI (retailer), MFI. It sold these acquisitions during the 1990s to concentrate on the supermarkets. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until 1999 when it was acquired by Walmart for £6.7 billion. Asda was the second-largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom between 2003 and 2014 by market share, at which point it fell into third place. As of January 2025 its market share in the UK is 12.6 per cent. Besides its core supermarkets, the company also acts as a White-label product, white label payment card provider offering assistance for insurance and payment services under the Asda Mon ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Soon after, it spread to other areas of Asia, and COVID-19 pandemic by country and territory, then worldwide in early 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on 30 January 2020, and assessed the outbreak as having become a pandemic on 11 March. COVID-19 symptoms range from asymptomatic to deadly, but most commonly include fever, sore throat, nocturnal cough, and fatigue. Transmission of COVID-19, Transmission of the virus is often airborne transmission, through airborne particles. Mutations have variants of SARS-CoV-2, produced many strains (variants) with varying degrees of infectivity and virulence. COVID-19 vaccines were developed rapidly and deplo ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mothercare
Mothercare plc is a global brand for products for parents and young children. The company's shares are listed on AIM in London. Mothercare was founded in the United Kingdom in 1961, and specialized in products for expectant mothers and in general merchandise for children up to eight years of age. Later, the company's shares were listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange, and mergers and acquisitions involved Habitat, British Home Stores and Early Learning Centre. Mothercare's UK subsidiary had over 150 stores in 2017, but by 2019 the number had been reduced to 79. In November 2019, the subsidiary was placed into administration, which led to closure of all the stores, continuing as a franchise-only business. Mothercare-branded products are sold in the UK by Boots, and Mothercare continues to supply franchisees in other countries. History The company was founded by Selim Zilkha and Sir James Goldsmith in 1961. It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Matalan
Matalan Retail Ltd is a British clothing and homewares retailer based in Knowsley, Merseyside, founded by John Hargreaves in 1985. In August 1988, its operations director at the time, Duncan Sullivan, transformed Matalan into an out-of-town warehouse-style, membership-only cash-and-carry business, inspired by Sam's Club in the United States. The membership-only model was phased out by March 1998. Matalan's turnover grew from £26m in 1992 to £800m in 1998, with over seven million customers and a £1bn valuation on the London Stock Exchange. As of June 2024, the retailer has 230 locations domestically, as well as a number of franchise outlets in the Middle East. The retailer is a wholly owned subsidiary of Missouri Topco Limited, a holding company which is based in Guernsey, and is controlled by the Hargreaves family. History In 1985, John Hargreaves opened the first Matalan store at Bamber Bridge, near Preston, Lancashire. There were fifty stores by 1995, and in 1997, th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most populous city, after Dubai. The city is situated on a T-shaped island, extending into the Persian Gulf from the central-western coast of the UAE. Abu Dhabi is located on an island in the Persian Gulf, off the Central West Coast. Most of the city and the Emirate reside on the mainland connected to the rest of the country. , Abu Dhabi's urban area had an estimated population of 2.5 million, out of 3.8 million in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority is headquartered in the city, and was the Sovereign wealth fund#Largest sovereign wealth funds, world's 3rd largest sovereign wealth fund in 2022. Abu Dhabi itself has over a trillion US dollars worth of assets under management in a combination of various List of coun ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Aylesbury
Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery and the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Waterside Theatre. It is located in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wycombe and Milton Keynes. Aylesbury was awarded Garden city movement, Garden Town status in 2017. In 2021 it had a population of 63,273. The housing target for the town is set to grow with 16,000 homes set to be built by 2033. Etymology The town name is of Old English origin. It is first recorded in the form ''Æglesburg'' in the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'', a text which took its present form in the later ninth century. The word ''Ægles'' is a personal name in the genitive case, meaning "Ægel's" and means "fortification". Thus the name once meant "Fort of Ægel" — though who Ægel was is not recorded. Nineteenth-century speculation that the name contained the Welsh language, Welsh word ''eglwys'' meaning "a church" (from Latin ) has been discredited ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham is the legendary home of Robin Hood and to the lace-making, bicycle and Smoking in the United Kingdom, tobacco industries. The city is also the county town of Nottinghamshire and the settlement was granted its city charter in 1897, as part of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. In the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census, Nottingham had a reported population of 323,632. The wider conurbation, which includes many of the city's suburbs, has a population of 768,638. It is the largest urban area in the East Midlands and the second-largest in the Midlands. Its Functional Urban Area, the largest in the East Midlands, has a population of 919,484. The population of the Nottingham/Derby metropolitan a ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Victoria Centre
The Victoria Centre is a shopping centre and social housing complex in Nottingham, England, constructed by Taylor Woodrow between 1967 and 1972. It contains fashion and high street chain stores as well as cafes, restaurants, and the Nottingham Victoria bus station. History The Victoria Centre stands on the site of the old Nottingham Victoria railway station, which was demolished in 1967. The clock tower and the former Victoria Station Hotel (now run by Hilton Hotels) were the only parts of the old station to be retained. The complex was designed by Arthur Swift & Partners and constructed between 1967 and 1972 by Taylor Woodrow. The ground and first floor of the complex hold the Victoria Centre shopping centre, which is managed by Savills. The building itself is owned by a limited partnership between Shaftesbury Capital, Corporation Service Company, Global Mutual, and Nottingham City Council. The complex remains the tallest building in Nottingham, with the 26 floor, high V ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |