|
1961 |
|
25 July |
- Sinclair Radionics Ltd is founded
by Clive Sinclair. Company is based at 69 Histon Road,
Cambridge.
|
1964 |
|
April |
- Radionics moves to Duncan Terrace, Islington.
|
August |
- Radionics moves to Comberton, Cambridge.
|
1966 |
|
April |
- Radionics moves to Newmarket Road, Cambridge.
|
1971 |
|
February |
- Radionics operation moves to Enderby's Mill, London
Rd, St Ives, Huntingdonshire
|
May |
- Sinclair Radionics profits £85,000 on turnover of
£563,000
|
1972 |
|
May |
- Sinclair Radionics profits £97,000 on turnover of
£761,000
|
1973 |
|
May |
- Sinclair Radionics generates a turnover of £1.8m
|
17 Sept |
- Ablesdeal Ltd incorporated.
Virtually all Sinclair business activities, however,
are conducted by Sinclair Radionics Ltd.
|
1974 |
|
May |
- Sinclair Radionics profits £240,000 on turnover
of £4m
|
November |
- Sinclair Radionics Inc., USA founded with Nigel
Searle as President
|
1975 |
|
11 Feb |
- Ablesdeal changes its name to
Westminster Mail Order Ltd.
|
April |
- Sinclair Radionics profits £45,000 on turnover of
£6.3m
|
1976 |
|
April |
- Sinclair Radionics loss £355,000 on turnover of
£5.6m
|
August |
- National Enterprise Board inject £650,000 capital
for 43 per cent stake in Sinclair Radionics
|
1977 |
|
April |
- Sinclair Radionics loss £820,000 in previous twelve
months
|
July |
- NEB inject further £1.65m to take 73 per cent equity
in Sinclair Radionics, and extend loan facility of
£1m
- Norman Hewett appointed MD of Radionics on behalf
of NEB
- Sinclair Instruments Ltd becomes Science of Cambridge
Ltd
|
December |
- Sinclair Radionics loss £1.29m in previous eight
months
|
1978 |
|
July |
- Norman Hewett leaves Radionics
|
September |
- Michael Pye appointed MD of Radionics
|
December |
- Sinclair Radionics loss £1.98m on £6.39m turnover.
Total NEB investment £4.45m, plus trading losses
|
1979 |
|
May |
- NEB announces plans to sell off calculator and TV
interests of Sinclair Radionics
|
July |
- Clive Sinclair resigns from Sinclair Radionics with
£10,000 golden handshake
|
August |
|
September |
- NEB shift instruments division into Sinclair Electronics
|
December |
- NEB loss totals £7.8m on Radionics operation
|
1980 |
|
January |
- Sinclair Electronics becomes Thandar Electronics
Ltd, and Sinclair Radionics ceases to exist
|
March |
- Science of Cambridge profit £131,000 on turnover
of £640,000
|
10 Nov |
- Science of Cambridge Ltd becomes Sinclair Computers
Ltd
|
1981 |
|
11 March |
- Sinclair Computers changes its
name to Sinclair Research Ltd.
|
March |
- Sinclair Research profits £818,000
on a turnover of £4.6m.
|
June |
- Sinclair Browne Ltd publishing company formed
|
1982 |
|
March |
- Sinclair Research profits of £8.55m on turnover
of £27.17m, including £383,000 government grants for
flat screen
|
1983 |
|
January |
- N. M. Rothschild & Son place 400,000 shares (10
per cent of equity) of Sinclair Research at £34 each
with financial institutions, valuing the company at
£136m. Clive now owns 85 per cent, gains £13.6m as
result of sale
|
February |
- Computer division of Sinclair moves to Willis Rd,
Cambridge
|
March |
- Sinclair Research profits of £13.8m on £54.53m turnover,
including £1.1m flat TV grants. Clive's salary £82,000
|
May |
- Richard Cutting recruited to head 'MetaLab' research
centre
|
1984 |
|
March |
Sinclair Research profits
£14.28m on turnover of £77.69m, including £309,000 government
grants.
Writing in the annual company report, Clive says that
the low profit figure is largely due to
the launch of major products such as the QL and the
pocket television which "added greatly to costs
in the year but little to sales". However,
other products are said to be healthy. "Our Spectrum
computer continues to gain in sales. Pocket television
production is increasing and we hope to expand sales
abroad next calendar year ... Export sales have increased
steadily and there has been rapid growth in the home
market. Export sales are expected to increase as a percentage
of total sales". Sinclair claims that the "technical
leadership" of the company will be enhanced "now that
our advanced research lab, MetaLab, is established." |
May |
Sinclair Vehicles moves to
University of Warwick Science Park. Barry Wills is MD
|
1985 |
|
February |
- 7 Feb - Sinclair aborts stock market flotation
- 20 Feb - Sinclair Research restructures into
TV and Communications Division (headed by Bill Jeffrey,
brought in from Mars Electronics) and Computer Division
(headed by Davis Chatten, ex-Sinclair Production Director).
Hugo Davenport appointed Engineering Director (ex-Solatron-Schlumberger)
- Nigel Searle transfers to head US operation for
QL,
FM wristwatch radio and flat-screen
TV mail order
|
March |
- 12 Mar - Plans to form and seek funding for
separate company for wafer-scale chips under Robb
Wilmot are announced by Clive. Wilmot appointed a
director of Sinclair Research
- Institutional investors (holding 10 per cent of
shares) told that profits to December were £7.9m on
a turnover of £89m, with stocks held worth £34m
|
April |
- Figures (not released until November) show pre-tax
loss of £18m on turnover of £102m. £22m written off
for decrease in stock value and bad debts
|
May |
- 28 May - Sinclair confirms it is seeking
£10m-15m to 'fund long-term growth and restructuring'
and a new chief executive to replace Clive in this
role and denies Clive intends to relinquish his position
as chairman
|
June |
- 2 June - Sinclair Vehicles confirms it is
looking to sell company.
- 17 June - Robert Maxwell announces rescue
bid for Sinclair Research, which has £15m debts. Deal
to leave Clive with 8 percent, chairmanship and consultancy
|
August |
- 9 Aug - Maxwell aborts Sinclair Research
takeover
|
September |
- Sinclair Vehicles renamed as TPD Ltd
|
October |
- 14 Oct - Receivers called in to TPD Ltd (ex-Sinclair
Vehicles Ltd).
|
November |
- 6 Nov - TPD Ltd (ex-Sinclair Vehicles) goes
into voluntary liquidation with debts of £6.4m.
- Sinclair Vehicles (Sales) Ltd to continue electric
car projects
|
1986 |
|
April |
- 7 Apr - Amstrad pays £5m for all rights to
existing Sinclair computer products including the
name and logos, and commits £11m for outstanding orders
and work in progress. Sinclair Research becomes research
and consultancy, two separate subsidiaries to be formed,
one with Timex
holding 75 per cent for portable phone project, one
with Barclays Bank funding for wafer-scale development.
Sinclair Research now becomes a holding company for
interests in a series of 'spin outs' covering electronics
and other sectors.
|
July |
- 7 July - Anamartic Ltd launched. Seeks to
raise £6m to produce waferscale memory device for
production early 1987
|
|
- Shaye Communications Ltd is founded to develop advanced
telecoms products.
|
|
- Cambridge Computer Ltd is founded to develop new
computer technologies.
|
1987 |
|
Summer |
- Cambridge Computer Z88
is released and receives a positive response from
reviewers and the public. It sells well and proves
a good earner for the company.
|
1989 |
|
|
- Cambridge Computer enters the market for satellite
receivers. It launches revolutionary compact satellite
dishes, marketed by Sky Television, in 60cm and 45cm
versions.
|
1990 |
|
June |
- 1988-1989 results: a loss of £183,015 on a turnover
of just £7,825. By now the company employs only three
people - Sinclair himself, a sales and admin person
and a research-and-development person.
|
|
- Facing difficulties in raising capital, Sinclair
Research sells Cambridge Computer to SCI "for
a nominal amount in return for a royalty stream on
the satellite receivers".
|
1991 |
|
June |
- 1989-1990 results: a profit of £618,389 (raised
from a sale of assets) on a turnover of £4,754. Sir
Clive writes in the company report:
In recent years, Sinclair Research
Limited has exploited its technology through companies
formed with investors. These ventures include
Anamartic Limited, the first and only company
in the world to produce products incorporating
wafer scale integration (WSI), Shaye Communications
Limited, one of the leaders in the CT-2 telephone
field, Cambridge Computer Limited, making laptop
computers and satellite receivers and Symbolkit
Limited, through its licence granted to P.G.C
Limited, which is developing the ultra fast computer
processors.
Anamartic Limited has recently and
successfully started to sell finished products
to the computer manufacturing industry. These
have proved highly reliable and cost effective.
The need for further capital will probably lead
to dilution in our shareholding.
Shaye Communications Limited are
selling their original CT-2 phone in several countries
and have reached a turnover of around £5 million
pet annum. The development of a second generation
machine conforming to the common air interface
(the new standard) is well advanced and should
lead to a considerable growth of business.
During the year we sold the majority
of our interest in Cambridge Computer Limited
to S.C.l. for a nominal amount in return for a
royalty stream on the satellite receivers. This
was a disappointing result of our inability to
raise the capital needed for the Company at a
difficult time in the market.
P.G.C. Limited continues to develop
its very high speed computer chip and has received
an injection of capital from outside investors.
Progress is very promising.
The main project within Sinclair
Research Limited is a pedal bicycle dramatically
lighter than any previously made. This uses lightweight
composite materials to the almost complete exclusion
of steel. Development is well advanced and tooling
will commence soon. We intend to launch the bike
in 1992.
Last year we made a reasonable profit
but this is unlikely to be repeated in the current
year as the bike project absorbs funds. The longer
term prospects remain good.
|
|
- Sinclair Research divests itself of its remaining
investment in Shaye.
|
1992 |
|
February |
- Sinclair launches the Zeta
bicycle drive unit.
|
June |
- 1990-91 results: a loss of £271,734 on a turnover
of £5,486. In his statement, Sir Clive writes:
Over the past year your company
has developed and tooled a radical electric bike
called the Zike. This has cost £500,000 paid for
partly by the sale of our remaining shares in
Shaye Communications and partly by borrowings
totalling £200,000. Production is due to start
in late June at the works of our subcontractor
Tudor Webasto in Birmingham.
There have been many electric bikes
over the years but these have all weighed upwards
of 35 kg making them most "unbike" like. The Zike
weighs just 11 kg or about the same as an ordinary
racing bike. This is a result of a new motor,
electronics, battery and complete frame as the
enclosed leaflet explains. If you would like to
order one you are entitled to a £50 discount as
a shareholder. The leaflet contains an order form.
It is too early of course to know
the success of the Zike but all the early indications
are encouraging. Over 2,000 members of the public
rode prototypes at the Cyclex exhibition in March
and were clearly impressed. 300 orders have been
placed by members of the public who requested
leaflets. Over 200 foreign companies have approached
us for agencies and many sample orders have been
placed.
|
1993 |
|
June |
- 1991-92 results: a loss of £592,600 on a turnover
of £1,115. The auditors write that the company can
only be considered a going concern because the chairman
(Sir Clive) is supporting it from his own pocket.
Sir Clive states:
Our company is now focused on the
Zike electric bike. This is tooled and in production
with around 1,200 sold so far but two problems
have arisen which, at the time of writing, have
much inhibited the rate of sales which had been
rising steadily. Some batteries were found to
have corroded which caused us to recall Zikes,
though only 1% were affected. This was not a design
fault and is so far unexplained. Also Tudor Webasto
who have made the Zike so far have decided to
cease as they need the factory space for expansion
of their core business.
We are talking to several companies
interested in taking over from Tudor Webasto and
we are developing new models but no reliable forecasts
can yet be made.
|
1994 |
|
28 April |
- Sinclair launches the Zike
electric bicycle.
|
June |
- 1992-93 results: a loss of £169,197 on a turnover
of £379,836. In his director's report, Sir Clive writes:
Since the company year end Zike
sales have continued favourably and this product
now represents positive cash flow.
We have concluded an agreement with
MTI Inc in Seattle whereby we licence them to
sell a computer chip we developed with an associated
company. This looks highly promising, we have
received a first payment of £100,000, but it is
too early to make predictions.
On the 28th April 1994 we launched
a new product called ZETA. This is a bolt on unit
which converts any bicycle to electric power.
At the time of writing, 18th May, we have sold
over 1,000 units by mail order at £144.95 each.
Clearly the prospects look excellent.
|
1995 |
|
June |
- 1993-94 results: a loss of £194,826 on a turnover
of £510,943.
|
1996 |
|
June |
- 1994-95 results: a loss of £303,630 on a turnover
of £435,742.
|
1997 |
|
June |
- 1995-96 results: a loss of £122,873 on a turnover
of £255,826. By now the staff has been reduced to
one - Sinclair himself.
|
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|
1999 |
|
May |
|
2002 |
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