The London Chronicle, December 13th, 1905

Motorists organization createdLast night in the comfortable confines of the Empire Traveller’s Club in St. James’s, London, one hundred motorcar owners met over dinner to form the British Automobile Club. “Our purpose,” said Sir Cecil Ferndown, the new President, “is to protect the interest of motorists in the new age of automobile travel.”

The London Chronicle, December 13th, 1955

BAC celebrates 50 years with record membership

A party was held last night to

celebrate a half century of service

to motorists in the same room

where the BAC was inaugurated.

“With 5 million members and a

range of services to all kinds of

travellers – from insurance to

breakdown support – the BAC

has been a tremendous success,’’

said the present President, Simon

Philips. He added that the BAC

planned to launch a series of

travel guides in 1956. “I wonder

what the original members would

think of it all.”

It looks probable that after nearly a century as a member’s club, the BAC will demutualize and become a part of the French phone company, TFA. “It is a very good offer and I hope our members will vote in favour,’’ said the outgoing president, Lord Goodfellow. “As we approach the new millennium, we have to change to meet the new challenges.”

The London Chronicle, May 14th, 1998

BAC likely to demutualize and be bought by French telecom giant for £1.2 billion

Internet research• Look up ‘demutualization’ and ‘mutual organization’ on the

Wikipedia website at: www.wikipedia.org

Wikipedia, which is an online free-content encyclopedia, is a great source of information when doing research on the Internet.

“I’m worried that the quality of service will go down in the search for profit.” BAC member

“I’m worried for my job. There is bound to be some rationalization.” BAC employee

“What does TFA know about motorists? They’re a phone company after all!” BAC member

“I’m definitely going to vote “yes”. I’m going to make a £5,000 windfall on my membership.” BAC member.

“TFA will invest in the brand and develop the services on offer. Especially in the area of IT. It is a fantastic opportunity for all of us.” BAC employee

“I’ve always liked the idea of the BAC being a club and I think it’s likely it will lose its identity. It’s a pity things have to change.” BAC customer

The London Chronicle, June 4th, 2004

BAC goes online The BAC announced today two new free online services to help their customers. The first is a route planner, which shows street level detail, and the second is a second-hand car buyer’s guide. “It is all part of improving services to our 12 million customers,” said a spokesman, “and shows the benefit of being part of a telecom company.” He added “We are also launching a monthly motoring magazine later in the year and an even faster breakdown service.”

The London Chronicle, June 14th, 2005

TFA sells the BACAfter five year’s of

ownership TFA has

announced it has agreed to

sell the BAC to JMQ, the

private equity fund for £1.9

billion. TFA paid £1.5 billion

for the BAC in 1998. Since

then, the company has seen a

growth in customer numbers

and the range of services it

provides.

The London Chronicle, 7th, October 2007

BAC to be sold – again!

Private equity firm JMQ is believed to

be planning to either sell the BAC

business or float it on the stock market.

It is said TFA want to raise £3 billion for

the 15 million member business.

In 2005, the BAC was bought from TFA

for £1.7 billion. Subsequently there were

job losses and parts of the business were

sold off. Recently there have been

complaints from customers about the

quality of service.