Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
Sinclair Research
(section)
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
=== Amstrad acquisition of assets === Sinclair Research had reportedly intended a public offering of shares on 12 March 1985, but this offering was postponed, ostensibly due to turmoil in the microcomputer industry, with [[Acorn Computers]] undergoing refinancing, and other companies such as Sinclair's competitor [[Oric computers|Oric]] and distributor Prism entering receivership. Although the collapse of the latter was not expected to have a significant effect on Sinclair's ability to reach customers, the observation was made that "Sir Clive would not be trying to go public unless he thought he could use the cash", indicating that the postponement of an offering whose timing would have been planned for optimal effect would be a setback for the company.<ref name="pcw198504_prism">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/PersonalComputerWorld1985-04/page/101/mode/1up | title=Still waters | magazine=Personal Computer World | date=April 1985 | access-date=22 October 2021 | last1=Kewney | first1=Guy | pages=101β102 }}</ref> On 28 May 1985, Sinclair Research had announced it wanted to raise an extra Β£10m to Β£15m to restructure the organisation. Given the loss of confidence in the company, the money proved hard to find. In June 1985, [[business magnate]] [[Robert Maxwell]] announced a takeover of Sinclair Research, through Hollis Brothers, a subsidiary of his [[Pergamon Press]].<ref name="nyt-srl">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/18/business/sinclair-to-sell-british-unit.html|title=Sinclair to Sell British Unit|date=18 June 1985|work=[[The New York Times]]|agency=[[The Associated Press]]|url-access=limited|access-date=4 December 2009}}</ref> However, the deal was aborted in August 1985.<ref name="corphist"/> The future of Sinclair Research remained uncertain until 7 April 1986, when the company sold its entire computer product range, and the "Sinclair" brand name, to [[Amstrad]] for Β£5 million.<ref>{{cite magazine | author = Graham Kidd |date=May 1986 | title = Amstrad has bought Sinclair Research | magazine = [[CRASH (magazine)|CRASH]] | issue = 28 | pages = 7 | url = http://www.crashonline.org.uk/28/editrl.htm | access-date = 2006-08-19 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | date = May 1986 | title = Amstrad axes QL in Sinclair sell out | magazine = [[Sinclair User]] | issue = 50 | pages = 7 | url = http://www.sincuser.f9.co.uk/050/news.htm | access-date = 2006-08-19 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060924102231/http://www.sincuser.f9.co.uk/050/news.htm | archive-date = 24 September 2006 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> The deal did not include the company itself, only its name and products.
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)