History
The Lewis Group's origins date back to 1934 when the first Lewis store was opened in Woodstock, Cape Town.
| 1930's | |
|---|---|
| 1934: | Meyer Lewis buys Woodstock Auction Mart in Cape Town. |
| 1936: | The name changes to M Lewis and Company and new furniture is introduced into its range of products. |
| 1940's | |
| 1946: | Lists on JSE on 30 October as Lewis Stores Limited to raise capital for expanding the business. |
| 1947: | The UK-based retailer, GUS plc enters the South African retail market and acquires a controlling interest in Lewis Stores Limited, which subsequently delisted. |
| 1950's | |
| 1950: | Expansion programme commences and runs over next seven years. |
| 1957: | The group has 55 stores trading under Barons Furnishers, Excelsior Meubels, Lewis and Universal Stores, a credit clothing chain. |
| 1960's and 1970's | |
| 1969-1972: | Branches open in Botswana, Namibia and Swaziland. |
| 1972: | A furniture chain of about 50 stores is acquired from Edgars and the chain is rebranded as Dan Hands. Universal Stores is sold to Edgars as part of the transaction. |
| 1973: | Store base reaches 227. |
| 1980's and 1990's | |
| 1980-1990: | The group grows by 100 stores, including expanding to Lesotho. |
| 1994: | Monarch Insurance, the financial services business, is established. |
| 1997: | 130 Dan Hands stores are rebranded Lewis, establishing Lewis as the largest furniture brand in South Africa. |
| 1998: | Best Electric chain launched to sell branded electrical merchandise. Credit application scoring introduced as part of the credit assessment process. |
| 2000's | |
| 2003: | The group acquires Lifestyle Living, a chain of 18 stores serving a higher income market. |
| 2004: | The Lewis Group lists on the JSE with a market capitalisation of R2.8 billion. GUS plc sells 46% of its holding to facilitate the listing. |
| 2005: | GUS plc sells its controlling interest of 54% shareholding in the group. |
| 2007: | 500th store opens. |
| 2008: | Best Electric expands product range to include furniture lines and is rebranded Best Home and Electric. |
| 2010's | |
| 2010: | My Home launched to target aspirational, higher income credit customers. Lifestyle Living chain is closed and most of the stores converted to My Home. |
| 2011: | Store base reaches 582. Exceeds R1 billion in operating profit. |