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APN and INM: landmarks

Table of contents

Landmarks

Landmarks

This chronology is indicative only.

Antecedents

1863 Wilson & Horton founded in New Zealand

1904 Independent Newspapers founded in Dublin

1936 Tony O'Reilly born

1966 CEO of Irish Dairy Board

1966 Managing Director of Irish Sugar Company

1973 President and Chief Operating Officer of HJ Heinz food group

Beginnings

1973 buys 28% stake in Dublin-based Independent Newspapers, later renamed Independent News & Media PLC (INM), for £1m

1979 Chief Executive Officer of Heinz

1986 Independent launched in UK by Andreas Whittam-Smith, Stephen Glover and Matthew Symonds

1987 O'Reilly becomes Chairman of Heinz

Forms APN

1988 buys Provincial Newspapers from Murdoch's Queensland Newspapers. Group is subsequently renamed Australian Provincial Newspapers (APN)

1990 Independent on Sunday launched by Whittam-Smith

1991 makes unsuccessful bid for Fairfax

1992 sells 44% of APN

1994 takes stake in Portugal's Lusomundo

1994 buys 35% stake in South African Argus newspaper group

1995 increases Argus stake to 57%

1995 takes controlling stake in Wilson & Horton

Into the UK

1995 increases stake in UK Independent Newspapers (INM)

1995 with Peter Goulandris and Leonard Reinhardt founds Lockwood Financial

1997 South African subsidiary Independent Newspapers Holdings (INHL) sells 42.5% stake in The Sowetan for R62m

1997 INM increases stake in INHL to 70.79%

1997 buys Kentish Times Newspapers

1997 INM acquires Tindle stake in INM

1997 INM increases direct shareholding in APN from 23% to 34%

1997 APN buys Australian Posters

1997 transfers 50% of the street furniture business of Australian Posters to joint venture with More Group

1998 pays £30m for remaining 54% of Independent Newspapers (the Independent and Independent On Sunday, buying 7% from PRISA and 46% from Mirror

1998 increases Argus stake to 75%

1998 increases Wilson & Horton stake to 100%

1998 INM buys UK The Independent and Independent on Sunday

1999 INHL buys out minority Argus shareholders

1999 APN sells Daily Commercial News to Informa for $10m

2000 INM buys Belfast Telegraph group for £300m from Trinity Mirror

Restructures W&H and APN

2001 APN buys Wilson & Horton for $1.29bn

2002 interest in Brisbane radio station 4BH sold to DMG

2002 sells 24% stake in Lockwood Financial

2002 INM announces sale of 45 Greater London local newspapers to Gannett's Newsquest for £60m, later quashed by UK competition agency

2003 INM sells 19% stake in Lusomundo Media to Cofina Group for £17m

2003 Greater London local papers acquired by Archant

2005 INM sells its 37% stake in iTouch for €100m

2005 launches Daily Voice in South Africa

2006 Independent News & Media buys 20% of UK online gaming company Cashcade

2006 Independent News & Media and Providence Equity Partners offer to acquire remaining 60% of APN