Viglen
Viglen was a British information-technology company and brand supplying computers, servers, storage systems, workstations, and related communications services.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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History
Viglen was founded in 1975 by Vigen Boyadjian as a British information-technology company. In the 1980s it became known for direct-response sales conducted through extensive advertisements in prominent computer magazines. The company was particularly attractive to Acorn computer owners, although its activities were broader than the Acorn market. This model gave Viglen a route to customers without relying solely on conventional retail distribution. In June 1994, Viglen was acquired by Amstrad, the group associated with entrepreneur Alan Sugar. The transaction marked the beginning of Viglen's long period under Sugar's ownership and increased its visibility within the British technology sector. From 1994 through 1998, Viglen sponsored Charlton Athletic Football Club. The sponsorship ended when Charlton gained promotion to the FA Premier League. In 1997, Viglen was listed as a public limited company as part of a corporate restructuring in which Amstrad shares were divided between Viglen and Betacom. Betacom was later renamed Amstrad PLC. Viglen moved its headquarters in December 2005 from Wembley in London to Colney Street near St Albans. The new premises also housed a fabrication plant. By 2007, the company was concentrating significantly on institutional customers, especially the education and public sectors. Its business covered desktop and server systems as well as managed services, high-performance computing clusters, network-attached storage, and other data and voice communications products and services. The company also became closely linked with The Apprentice, the BBC programme fronted by Alan Sugar. Viglen's headquarters served as a filming location for candidate interviews and the programme's recurring departure sequence, while the boardroom scenes were recorded in a West London studio. This association made the company recognizable to a general television audience beyond its core IT customers. In December 2010, chief executive Bordan Tkachuk received widespread criticism after incorrectly defining the abbreviation ISP during a mock interview on the programme. In July 2009, Alan Sugar resigned as chairman of Viglen as part of his departure from the chairmanships of several companies. Claude Littner, another longtime associate, took over the chairmanship. In January 2014, Sugar sold his interest in Viglen to the Westcoast Group. Westcoast merged Viglen with its subsidiary XMA. The available sources do not provide enough information to determine whether Viglen remained an independent legal entity, a continuing brand, or an absorbed operation after that merger; its current status therefore remains unconfirmed.
- 2014
Merged with XMA under Westcoast
[1]Westcoast Group acquires Sugar's interest and combines Viglen with its subsidiary XMA.
- 2009
Chairmanship changes
[1]Alan Sugar resigns as chairman and Claude Littner takes over.
- 2007
Greater focus on institutional IT
[1]The company emphasizes education and public-sector customers while continuing to develop server, storage, managed-service, and high-performance-computing activities.
- 2005
Headquarters move to Colney Street
[1]Viglen relocates from Wembley to Colney Street near St Albans, where its new premises also contain a fabrication plant.
- 1997
Becomes a public limited company
[1]Viglen is listed as a public limited company during a restructuring involving Amstrad and Betacom.
- 1994
Acquired by Amstrad
[1]Amstrad acquires Viglen in June, bringing it under Alan Sugar's ownership.
- 1980
Direct-sales computer marketing expands
[1]During the 1980s, Viglen builds its market presence through large advertisements in computer magazines, with a notable focus on Acorn users.
- 1975
Viglen is founded
[1]Vigen Boyadjian establishes Viglen as a British IT company.
Products and positioning
A British business-to-business IT supplier focused on configurable computing hardware, infrastructure, storage, and related services, with particular emphasis in the 2000s on education and public-sector customers.
Desktop computers
Viglen desktop computers
Viglen supplied desktop computer systems for general business, education, public-sector, and consumer-oriented computing needs. Desktop systems were part of the company's earlier direct-sales activity and remained among its principal hardware categories as the business shifted toward institutional and managed IT customers.
Servers
Viglen servers
The company supplied server systems for organizational IT infrastructure. Servers formed part of Viglen's later business-to-business portfolio, particularly as the company developed stronger relationships with education and public-sector customers.
Workstations
Viglen workstations
Viglen's workstation range addressed professional users requiring more capable systems than standard desktop computers. The available source identifies workstations as a core product category but does not provide model names or detailed technical specifications.
Storage systems
Viglen storage systems
Storage systems and network-attached-storage products extended Viglen's offering from endpoint hardware into data-management infrastructure. These products were relevant to organizational deployments requiring shared capacity and network-accessible data storage.
High-performance computing
Viglen high-performance computing clusters
Viglen had an interest in high-performance clusters, supplying infrastructure intended for workloads requiring aggregated computing capacity. The sources do not identify specific cluster platforms, customer projects, or product series.
Managed services
Viglen managed IT services
Managed services complemented Viglen's hardware business by providing ongoing support or administration around customer IT environments. The available material confirms the category but does not detail service-level structures or named offerings.
Marketing campaigns
- 2005The Apprentice headquarters association
United Kingdom
During Alan Sugar's ownership, Viglen's headquarters were used as a filming location for The Apprentice, including candidate interviews and the recurring contestant-exit sequence.
Outcome. The arrangement gave Viglen substantial incidental television exposure, although the programme's boardroom scenes were filmed in a separate West London studio.
- 1994Charlton Athletic sponsorship
United Kingdom
Viglen sponsored Charlton Athletic Football Club from 1994 to 1998, using sports sponsorship to increase visibility for the IT brand in the British market.
Outcome. The sponsorship ended after Charlton Athletic won promotion to the FA Premier League.
Brand decisions
2014
Sale to Westcoast and combination with XMAM&ABackground
Alan Sugar retained an interest in Viglen after leaving the chairmanship, but later exited the business.
Action taken
Sugar sold his interest to Westcoast Group, which merged Viglen with its subsidiary XMA.
Aftermath
The sources do not establish whether Viglen continued as a separate legal entity or brand after the combination.
2009
Change in chairmanshipStrategyBackground
Alan Sugar resigned as chairman of Viglen while stepping away from chairmanships of several companies.
Action taken
Claude Littner assumed the chairmanship.
Aftermath
The company continued under the leadership of a longtime associate of Sugar.
1994
Amstrad acquisitionM&ABackground
Viglen was an established British IT supplier operating in computer hardware and services.
Action taken
Amstrad acquired the company in June 1994.
Aftermath
Viglen operated within Alan Sugar's wider business interests and later became a public limited company.
Recent events
- 2014
Westcoast Group acquires Sugar's interest in Viglen[1]
M&A
Alan Sugar sold his interest in Viglen to the Westcoast Group, which combined the business with its subsidiary XMA.
- 2010
Bordan Tkachuk criticized after televised ISP definition[1]
Other
During a mock interview broadcast in The Apprentice, Viglen chief executive Bordan Tkachuk incorrectly described ISP as “Internet Service Protocol,” prompting widespread criticism.
- 2009
Alan Sugar resigns as Viglen chairman[1]
Leadership change
Alan Sugar stepped down as Viglen chairman and was succeeded in the leadership of the company by Claude Littner.
- 2005
Viglen relocates to Colney Street[1]
Other
The company moved its headquarters from Wembley in London to Colney Street near St Albans, at a site that also included a fabrication plant.
- 1997
Viglen becomes a public limited company[1]
Other
Viglen was listed as a public limited company during the restructuring that divided Amstrad's shares between Viglen and Betacom.
- 1994
Amstrad acquires Viglen[1]
M&A
Viglen was acquired by Alan Sugar's Amstrad group, bringing the British IT supplier into Amstrad's corporate structure.
Sources1 sources
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