Live Company Group

Live Company Group is the current name of a long-running United Kingdom public company with roots in Ceylon & Indian Planters' Holdings, incorporated in 1959. Rather than developing as a single continuous consumer brand, the company repeatedly changed its name, assets and operating focus through acquisitions, disposals, restructurings and reverse or backdoor listings. Its corporate lineage includes William Morris Fine Arts, Lincoln House, Wyefield Group, Orchard Furniture, World Sport Group and Parallel Media Group. The company's earliest corporate predecessor was established to acquire interests in the Ceylon & Indian Planters' Association, a tea-related enterprise with nineteenth-century origins. The investment structure was affected by the nationalisation of plantation assets in Sri Lanka and India, and the quoted interests were removed from the London market in the 1970s. The holding company later returned to public-company status and entered new businesses. In 1984 it acquired Morris Singer Foundry and Peterlee Wallpaper, becoming William Morris Fine Arts and later expanding its wallcovering activities through the acquisition of a Leyland Paint & Wallpaper division. During the late 1980s and 1990s, the business moved into furniture. It became Lincoln House in 1988 and acquired Medallion Upholstery in 1994, after which it was renamed Wyefield Group. The manufacturing estate was progressively reduced, and the company became a cash shell in 1999 after selling its furniture subsidiaries and assets. It was renamed Orchard Furniture despite having no operating assets and negative shareholders' equity at that point. A major strategic change followed in 2001, when Orchard Furniture acquired Jersey-incorporated holding companies connected with World Sport Group and Parallel Media Group International in a backdoor listing. The resulting listed company was initially called World Sport Group plc. World Sport Group was subsequently bought back by its founders in 2002, leaving Parallel Media Group International as the principal operating interest and prompting another renaming to Parallel Media Group plc. Under that identity, the group operated in sports and media agency work, including golf-event commercialisation, sports rights and entertainment-related promotion. David Ciclitira, who founded the earlier Parallel Media Group business in 1987, became chairman following the 2001 transaction. Parallel Media Group's activities included involvement with The Championship at Laguna National, a golf tournament that began in 2008 and was associated with both the Asian Tour and the European Tour. The group also pursued commercial rights connected with the Tour de las Américas and was involved in music and entertainment promotion, including brokering a Maroon 5 tour in Hong Kong in 2015. In December 2017, the public company adopted its current name, Live Company Group plc. Available reference material characterises it primarily as a listed corporate group rather than as a conventional consumer-facing product brand. Detailed information on its present operating portfolio, current executives, website and financial performance is not established in the supplied sources.

Live Company Group's legal and commercial history is rooted in a series of predecessor companies rather than in a single operating enterprise. The earliest important predecessor was Ceylon & Indian Planters' Holdings, incorporated on 23 June 1959 to acquire all or part of the share capital of The Ceylon & Indian Planters' Association. That association had been established in 1897 and was associated with the tea industry in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. Plantation nationalisation in Sri Lanka and India disrupted the business, and the predecessor's quoted interests were removed from the London market in 1976. The corporate structure was later revived and reoriented. In 1982, the holding company was re-registered as a public limited company. In 1984 it entered the Unlisted Securities Market and acquired Morris Singer Foundry and Peterlee Wallpaper. It adopted the William Morris Fine Arts name and acquired the wallcovering division of Leyland Paint & Wallpaper in December of that year for £3.3 million. The company stopped using the William Morris Fine Arts name in 1988 and became Lincoln House, reflecting a move into furniture. Lincoln House acquired Medallion Upholstery in 1994 for £8.2 million and changed its name to Wyefield Group. Medallion's factory was closed in 1998, leaving one manufacturing site in Derbyshire. The company became a cash shell in 1999 after selling Medallion Upholstery, Lincoln House (Furnishings) and Quantum Designs Furniture, together with related assets, to DFS Furniture Company for £1.5 million. It was then renamed Orchard Furniture. The next transformation came through the sports and media businesses associated with Parallel Media Group and World Sport Group. The earlier Parallel Media Group was founded by David Ciclitira in 1987 and was renamed Elysian Group in 1997, while Parallel Media Group International was incorporated in Jersey to hold related activities. A joint venture called Parallel Television was formed with CNBC in 1998. In 2001, Orchard Furniture acquired Jersey-incorporated holding companies associated with World Sport Group and Parallel Media Group International, effectively bringing the agency businesses into the listed vehicle through a backdoor listing. The resulting public company was named World Sport Group plc. The founders of World Sport Group later bought that business back in 2002. The listed entity consequently retained Parallel Media Group International as its principal asset and adopted the name Parallel Media Group plc. Ciclitira served as chairman after the 2001 transaction. Under the Parallel Media identity, the group worked in sports and media agency activities, including rights, promotion and event commercialisation. It planned a golf tournament in 2004 after separating from World Sport Group and later became involved with The Championship at Laguna National, an event established in 2008 and associated with the Asian and European tours. Parallel Media Group also obtained a court ruling in 2003 concerning contractual commercial rights connected with the Tour de las Américas. In entertainment, the group was involved in brokering a Maroon 5 tour in Hong Kong during 2015. The group sold Parallel Media Group (Championships) Limited to Ciclitira in 2015. The reference material describes him as chairman, largest shareholder and a creditor, and characterises the sale as a connected-parties transaction. On 22 December 2017, the listed company changed its name to Live Company Group plc. The supplied reference does not provide enough detail to describe its current subsidiaries, product portfolio, management team beyond Ciclitira, financial position or subsequent corporate developments with confidence.

• 2017

  Adopts the Live Company Group name

  [1]Live Company Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The public company changed its name to Live Company Group plc on 22 December 2017.

• 2002

  Renamed Parallel Media Group

  [1]Live Company Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Following the buyback of World Sport Group by its founders, the listed company changed its name to Parallel Media Group plc.

• 2001

  Sports and media agencies enter the listed vehicle

  [1]Live Company Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Orchard Furniture acquired holding companies associated with World Sport Group and Parallel Media Group International through a backdoor listing.

• 1999

  The company becomes a cash shell

  [1]Live Company Groupen.wikipedia.org

  After disposing of its furniture businesses and assets, the company became a cash shell and was renamed Orchard Furniture.

• 1994

  Medallion Upholstery acquisition

  [1]Live Company Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Lincoln House acquired Medallion Upholstery and was renamed Wyefield Group.

• 1988

  Renamed Lincoln House

  [1]Live Company Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The company moved toward furniture and adopted the Lincoln House name.

• 1984

  Entry into foundry and wallpaper

  [1]Live Company Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The predecessor entered the Unlisted Securities Market, acquired Morris Singer Foundry and Peterlee Wallpaper, and became William Morris Fine Arts.

• 1976

  Plantation-related quotations are cancelled

  [1]Live Company Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The London exchange cancelled quotations for Ceylon & Indian Planters' interests after plantation assets in Sri Lanka and India were nationalised.

• 1959

  Ceylon & Indian Planters' Holdings is incorporated

  [1]Live Company Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The legal predecessor was incorporated on 23 June 1959 as a holding company connected with The Ceylon & Indian Planters' Association.

A publicly listed, event- and sports-oriented corporate group formed through successive restructurings and changes of business focus, rather than a standalone consumer product brand.

• Professional and commercial services · 2001

  Sports and media agency services

  The group's principal modern operating identity developed around sports and media agency work. Activities described in the reference material include sports-rights commercialisation, event representation, promotional services and media-related agency work. These services were associated with the Parallel Media Group and World Sport Group businesses brought into the listed company during the 2001 restructuring.

• Golf event · 2008

  The Championship at Laguna National

  A golf tournament with which Parallel Media Group was involved as a media and commercial agency. The event began in 2008 and was described as co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour. The group's contract connected with the championship was renewed in 2013.

• Entertainment services

  Live entertainment and tour promotion

  The Parallel Media business also participated in music and entertainment promotion. The supplied material specifically records its role as broker for a Maroon 5 tour in Hong Kong during 2015, but does not establish a continuing branded touring product.

• 2017

  Corporate rebranding as Live Company GroupStrategy

  Background

  The listed company had operated under the Parallel Media Group name since 2002 after its sports and media restructuring.

  Action taken

  On 22 December 2017, the company changed its legal name to Live Company Group plc.

  Aftermath

  The name change established the current corporate identity, although the supplied sources do not detail the full operating rationale or later portfolio.

  Source

• 2015

  Sale of Parallel Media Group (Championships)Other

  Background

  The subsidiary was sold in a transaction involving David Ciclitira, who was described as chairman, largest shareholder and a creditor of the listed company.

  Action taken

  Parallel Media Group (Championships) Limited was sold to Ciclitira as a connected-parties transaction.

  Aftermath

  The supplied reference does not provide sufficient information about the subsequent performance or ownership structure of the sold subsidiary.

  Source

• 2001

  Backdoor listing of sports and media interestsM&A

  Background

  Orchard Furniture had become a cash shell after disposing of its furniture businesses. The company sought a new operating direction through the acquisition of Jersey holding companies associated with World Sport Group and Parallel Media Group International.

  Action taken

  The acquired interests were placed into the listed company, which initially adopted the World Sport Group plc name.

  Aftermath

  World Sport Group was later bought back by its founders, leaving Parallel Media Group International as the main operating interest and leading to the Parallel Media Group name.

  Source

1. 1Live Company Groupen.wikipedia.org