Editing David and Frederick Barclay (section)

==Business interests==
===Shipping===


====Ellerman Lines====
In 1983, the brothers purchased brewing and shipping group [[Ellerman Lines|Ellerman]] for £45m. They later sold its brewing division (for £240m), and in late 1985 its shipping business (to its management). The Ellerman deal helped the Barclays develop the strategy of buying companies, breaking them up and profiting from the real estate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mathaba.net/news/?x=86636 |title=Britain's Billionaire Barclay Twins Use Stealth to Amass Empire |publisher=Mathaba.net |access-date=15 January 2014 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620232153/http://www.mathaba.net/news/?x=86636 |archive-date=20 June 2015 }}</ref> The technique of approaching an insider to obtain an advantage also set a precedent for later deals: the Barclays approached the Ellerman non-executive chairman, David Scott, at a secret meeting in Monte Carlo. Scott recalled in his memoirs that David Barclay requested an exclusive option to buy the firm, and to keep it secret from all but two directors, in return for a promise that Scott would stay on as non-executive chairman. However, moments after signing the sale document, Scott was handed a letter (by the Barclays' lawyer) demanding his immediate resignation on grounds that he had been indiscreet about the offer.<ref>[https://www.chicagotribune.com/2004/02/01/hollinger-pursuers-show-skills/ "Dealmaking Barclays accustomed to getting their way"], articles.chicagotribune.com, 1 February 2004.</ref>

===Retail===


====The Very Group and Littlewoods====
In 2002, the brothers purchased the [[Liverpool]]-based retail company [[Littlewoods]] from its founders, the [[John Moores (British businessman)|Moores family]], for £750&nbsp;million. The deal was bankrolled by [[HBOS]], which also took a 5% equity stake in the brothers' bidding vehicle, LW Investments. The brothers merged the company with their earlier purchase, [[The Very Group]], to form [[Littlewoods Shop Direct Group|Littlewoods Shop Direct Home Shopping Limited]], which operates a majority share of the United Kingdom's home shopping market. They also closed and sold off the Littlewoods department store chain, with the largest parcel of 120 properties being purchased by [[Associated British Foods]] for leasing mainly to its subsidiary [[Primark]],<ref>[http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/business/s/165/165350_primark_takes_over_120_littlewoods_stores.html "Primark takes over Littlewood stores"], ''Manchester Evening News''</ref> while other stores were leased to [[Marks & Spencer]], [[New Look (clothing retailer)|New Look]] and [[British Home Stores]].<ref>[http://dialspace.dial.pipex.com/town/green/ac777/bes/bes_spring1999/28_2/sec2.htm "Structure of Industry" by Robert Paisley] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081215072646/http://dialspace.dial.pipex.com/town/green/ac777/bes/bes_spring1999/28_2/sec2.htm |date=15 December 2008 }}, dialspace.dial.pipex.com</ref>

Two years after the brothers' acquisition of Littlewoods Ltd., [[HM Revenue and Customs]] repaid the company VAT that it had charged in breach of EU law. Since October 2004, more than £200&nbsp;million in overpaid VAT and £268&nbsp;million in simple interest was repaid to the company.<ref>[http://www.internationaltaxreview.com/Article/3063534/ECJ-refers-Littlewoods-VAT-case-back-to-the-UK.html ''International Tax Review''], 19 July 2012</ref> However, Littlewoods argued that the company was owed a compounded interest rate and subsequently sued HMRC for £1&nbsp;billion.<ref>[http://www.accountancyage.com/aa/news/2192417/littlewoods-court-case-could-cost-taxman-billions "Littlewoods court case could cost taxman billions"], ''AccountancyAge'', 18 July 2012.</ref>

In 2024, Very Group auditors, [[Deloitte]], resigned after stating they struggled to access "appropriate and relevant information in respect of certain financing arrangements between companies in the wider group". Very Group's ownership is spread across many different companies, some unaudited, with an ultimate offshore owner.<ref name=telegraph-20240320>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/03/20/deloitte-quits-very-group-auditor-fresh-blow-barclay-family/ |title=Deloitte quits as Very Group auditor in fresh blow to Barclay family |last=Barr |first=Luke |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |url-access=subscription |date=20 March 2024 |access-date=20 March 2024}}</ref>

====Yodel====
Delivery company [[Yodel (company)|Yodel]] has received criticism for its poor service in the past, but has improved over recent years.<ref>{{cite news |author=Bachelor, Lisa |url=https://www.theguardian.com/money/2012/aug/24/amazon-complaints-yodel-delivery-service |title=Amazon deluged with complaints over Yodel's poor delivery service |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=24 August 2012 |access-date=15 January 2014}}</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2012/03/yodel.html bbc.co.uk], 22 March 2012</ref> Yodel (which operates via Home Delivery Network Ltd.) suffered a £130&nbsp;million loss in 2011.<ref>[http://bizzy.co.uk/uk/05200072/home-delivery-network bizzy], Home Delivery Network Limited profile</ref>

====handbag.com====
In October 2006, the Barclays sold handbag.com for £22&nbsp;million. This was almost all profit: they acquired the website after it was set up as a joint venture between [[Hollinger International]] and the [[Boots Group]] in 1999.  The Handbag group was a collection of four websites designed for female users: the high fashion getlippy.com, the fashion and home life-focused allaboutyou.com, a "specialist pregnancy site" gomamatoday.com and handbag.com.<ref>[http://www.journalism.co.uk/news/story3029.shtml Journalism.co.uk "NatMags buys Handbag.com"], journalism.co.uk</ref>

====Woolworths and Ladybird brands====
{{Main|Woolworths (United Kingdom)}}

On 2 February 2009, it was announced that the brothers' [[Shop Direct Group]] had purchased the brand names of [[Woolworths (UK)|Woolworths]] and [[Ladybird (clothing)|Ladybird]] children's clothing for an undisclosed amount, from [[Deloitte]], the administrators of the failed [[Woolworths (United Kingdom)|Woolworths Group]].<ref name="salebrand">{{cite web|url=http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/press_release/0,1014,sid%253D2988%2526cid%253D245646,00.html|title=Administrators announce sale of Woolworths brand|publisher=Deloitte|date=2 February 2009|access-date=5 February 2009}}{{Dead link|date=September 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In July 2021, the British and Irish Woolworths brands would be sold to [[Woolworth (European retailer)|Woolworth]] in Germany, with The Very Group retaining the Ladybird brand.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-01-23 |title=Woolworths could return to British High Streets |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-68068503 |access-date=2024-03-24 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

===Newspapers===
Many of the brothers' publishing interests are owned through a [[Jersey]] company, [[Press Holdings]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Doward|first=Jamie|date=21 February 2015|title=Daily Telegraph provokes fresh outrage over reporting of 'suicides' at News UK|language=en-GB|work=The Observer|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/feb/21/daily-telegraph-outrage-reporting-suicides-news-uk|access-date=3 May 2020|issn=0029-7712}}</ref>

====''The European''====
In 1992, the Barclay brothers entered the newspaper publishing industry by buying ''[[The European (newspaper)|The European]]'' newspaper, formerly part of [[Robert Maxwell]]'s holdings. The weekly paper became a high-end business tabloid, but closed in 1998.{{Citation needed|date=August 2013}}

====''The Scotsman''====
In 1995, they bought ''[[The Scotsman]]'' newspaper, and in 1996 appointed former ''[[The Sunday Times (UK)|Sunday Times]]'' editor [[Andrew Neil]] to oversee their publishing interests. On 19 December 2005, the Barclays sold [[The Scotsman Publications]] Ltd, itself then part of [[Press Holdings]] Group, for £160&nbsp;million to [[Johnston Press]]. The Barclays had owned these publications for a decade, and said they intended to use the capital raised on their other interests. During their ownership of ''The Scotsman'', the newspaper had seven editors in nine years (see [[The Scotsman#Editors|The Scotsman: Editors]]).

====''Sunday Business''====
In 1998 they bought and relaunched the ''[[Sunday Business]]'' newspaper with editor [[Jeff Randall (journalist)|Jeff Randall]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/aboutbbcnews/hi/profiles/newsid_3244000/3244242.stm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917095316/http://news.bbc.co.uk/aboutbbcnews/hi/profiles/newsid_3244000/3244242.stm|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 September 2018|title=About BBC News {{!}} Profiles {{!}} Jeff Randall|date=17 September 2018|access-date=25 October 2019}}</ref> It became a weekly magazine ''[[The Business (magazine)|The Business]]'' in 2006, and was merged into ''[[The Spectator]]'' in 2008.

====The Telegraph Media Group====
In July 2004, the Barclays bought The Telegraph Group (now [[Telegraph Media Group]]), which includes ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', ''[[The Sunday Telegraph]]'', and ''The Spectator'' after months of intense bidding and lawsuits. ''The Telegraph Group'' was owned by [[Hollinger Inc.]] of [[Toronto]], Ontario, Canada, the newspaper group controlled by the Canadian-born British businessman [[Conrad Black]]. As part of a February 2004 judgment, an American judge, [[Leo Strine]], accused the Barclay brothers of being "less than fully candid", adding they had "remained silent while Lord Black misled the [[Hollinger Inc.]] International board", remarks that incurred the brothers' wrath, with David branding the criticisms "grossly unfair".<ref name="Telegraph">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/jun/23/pressandpublishing.business|title=Who are the Barclay brothers?|work=The Guardian|first=Chris|last=Tryhorn|date=23 June 2004}}</ref>

The brothers' period as newspaper proprietors was more tumultuous than with their property interests. At the Telegraph Group, [[Murdoch MacLennan]] made over 100 journalists redundant in 2006, prompting the [[National Union of Journalists]] (NUJ) to consider strike action. ''[[The Sunday Telegraph]]'' editor [[Dominic Lawson]] was sacked and replaced by [[Sarah Sands]] in June 2005, but Sands lasted just nine months. [[Patience Wheatcroft]] from ''[[The Times]]'' was appointed editor in March 2006. She was replaced by [[Ian MacGregor (journalist)|Ian McGregor]] one year later.{{Citation needed|date=August 2013}} In February 2015, [[Peter Oborne]], the Chief Political Correspondent resigned from the newspaper in protest at its editorial direction. [[Jason Seiken]] was made editor-in-chief and chief content officer of Telegraph Media Group in October 2013, but announced his departure after 18 months in April 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/jason-seiken-departs-telegraph-after-18-months-editor-chief/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917095848/https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/jason-seiken-departs-telegraph-after-18-months-editor-chief/|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 September 2018|title=Telegraph editor-in-chief Jason Seiken departs after 18 months – Press Gazette|date=17 September 2018|access-date=25 October 2019}}</ref>

In October 2019, it was announced that the brothers were seeking to sell the Telegraph Group amid speculation that their business interests were in some difficulty.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Sweney|first=Mark|last2=Davies|first2=Rob|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/oct/28/telegraph-sale-could-herald-breakup-of-vast-barclays-empire|title=Telegraph sale could herald breakup of vast Barclays empire|work=The Guardian|date=28 October 2019|access-date=24 February 2020}}</ref> On 7 June 2023, after a bitter row over nearly £1bn of unpaid debts, the ''Daily'' and ''Sunday Telegraph'', amongst others, were put up for sale by [[AlixPartners]], who had been appointed by [[Bank of Scotland]] as official receiver to seize the shares owned by the Barclay family in the holding company that ultimately controlled the national newspapers and ''The Spectator'' magazine.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sweney |first=Mark |last2=Lawson |first2=Alex |date=7 June 2023 |title=Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph newspapers to be put up for sale |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/jun/07/daily-telegraph-and-sunday-telegraph-newspapers-to-be-put-up-for-sale |access-date=8 June 2023 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>