MWB Group Holdings is a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

-based property investment and development business. It is headquartered in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 and is listed on the London Stock Exchange

London Stock Exchange

The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...

. In 2008, the group had revenues of £

Pound sterling

The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...

277.8 million.

History

The Company was founded by Richard Balfour-Lynn in 1982 as a property development business under the name Warwick Balfour Properties plc. It adopted its present structure and the name Marylebone Warwick Balfour Group plc in 1994. In 1997 it undertook a reverse takeover

Reverse takeover

A reverse takeover or reverse merger is the acquisition of a public company by a private company so that the private company can bypass the lengthy and complex process of going public...

 of Ex-Lands Properties plc and thereby secured a listing on the London Stock Exchange

London Stock Exchange

The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...

. In 2008 it changed its name again to MWB Group Holdings plc.

Operations

The Group has two main business interests. It operates 26 hotels through a 100% ownership of Malmaison

Malmaison (hotel chain)

Malmaison is a hotel brand in the United Kingdom. The group operates 12 hotels and is wholly owned by MWB Group Holdings.-History:The hotel brand was formed in 1994 and is named after the Château de Malmaison on the outskirts of Paris....

 and Hotel du Vin

Hotel du Vin

Hotel du Vin is a luxury boutique hotel chain in the United Kingdom, co-founded by Gerard Basset and Robin Hutson.-History:The hotel chain was founded in Winchester in 1994 by Gerard Basset and Robin Hutson who both previously had worked at the famous Chewton Glen hotel where Basset was the Head...

 hotels chains. It also provides serviced office accommodation at 73 offices in UK cities through a 71.5% interest in MWB Business Exchange plc.

Malmaison

Malmaison is a hotel chain of 12 hotels. The chain was found in 1994 and is named after the Château de Malmaison

Château de Malmaison

The Château de Malmaison is a country house in the city of Rueil-Malmaison about 12 km from Paris.It was formerly the residence of Joséphine de Beauharnais, and with the Tuileries, was from 1800 to 1802 the headquarters of the French government.-History:Joséphine de Beauharnais bought the...

 on the outskirts of Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

.

Hotel Du Vin

Hotel du Vin is a luxury boutique and hotel chain, co-founded by Gerard Basset

Gerard Basset

Gerard Francis Claude Basset OBE is the owner with his wife, Nina, of Hotel Terravina, a New Forest Hotel near Southampton in Hampshire, United Kingdom...

 and Robin Hutson. The chain consists of 14 hotels.

Liberty

Liberty & Co. is a long-established department store on Regent Street

Regent Street

Regent Street is one of the major shopping streets in London's West End, well known to tourists and Londoners alike, and famous for its Christmas illuminations...

 in Central London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, in the West End

West End of London

The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...

 shopping district. The store originally was opened originally in 1874 by Arthur Lasenby Liberty

Arthur Lasenby Liberty

Sir Arthur Lasenby Liberty was a London merchant, and the founder of Liberty & Co.Born in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England, the son of a draper, he began work at sixteen with his uncle who sold lace, and later, another uncle who sold wine...

. In March 2010, Liberty & Co. was sold for an undisclosed fee.