British Land Co. Plc history, profile and corporate video
The British Land Co. Plc is a real estate investment trust that owns, manages, finances and develops commercial properties. The company focuses on high-quality UK retail locations and London offices. Its property portfolio comprises retail parks, super stores, shopping centers, department stores, residential and offices. British Land portfolio includes directly owned properties as well as properties held through joint ventures and investment funds. The company was founded in 1856 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.“
“British Land History
British Land was founded in 1856 as an offshoot of the National Freehold Land Society (later Abbey National) formed in 1849 with the two chief architects of the freehold land movement Richard Cobden and John Bright. Both were ardent supporters of a movement to extend enfranchisement. To qualify for a parliamentary vote it was then necessary to be a landowner and the main object of the National Freehold was to facilitate the acquisition of small plots of land by the people. To do this the British Land Co. would purchase land and then resell it again on the best terms to any customer who wanted to buy it. With extension of the franchise this reason ceased to govern the operation of the British Land Co and it began to operate as a normal business in the latter part of the Nineteenth Century.
In May 2005 British Land announced that it had agreed to purchase Pillar Property Plc for £811 million in cash to boost its position in the out-of-town retail property sector.
In 2006 Sir John Ritblat, who had chaired the company since 1970, stood down and was replaced by Chris Gibson-Smith.”
*Information from Forbes.com and Wikipedia.org
**Video published on YouTube by “BritishLandplc“