John Sands (company)

John Sands
Founded1837; 187 years ago (1837)
FoundersJohn Sands

John Sands is an Australian printing company and former distributor of games and computer hardware that is now a wholly owned subsidiary of American Greetings.[1]

The business was founded in Sydney Australia by a 19 year old English immigrant John Sands in 1837. In 1851, John Sands and Thomas Kenny founded Sands and Kenny in Sydney. The firm later became Sands, Kenny & Co., and then John Sands Ltd.[2] Sands began building his publishing and stationery business in George Street, Sydney. On 18 April 1867, a fire broke out at the Reibey Cottage on 394 George Street, which adjoined the John Sands building.[3]

In 1881, John Sands introduced the first Christmas and New Year’s Day greeting cards to be produced by an Australian printer. Through the years games, magazines, maps and books were added to the product line.

The John Sands Family relinquished control of the company after 141 years in 1978. Acquired by American Greetings in 1996, John Sands has retained its name and became part of the global company. American Greetings acquired John Sands from Amcor in December 1995 as part of a global expansion.[4]

  1. ^ "About Us". John Sands. Archived from the original on 11 December 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  2. ^ Walsh, G. P. (1976). "Sands, John (1818–1873)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  3. ^ "Destructive fire in George-Street". Sydney Mail. 20 April 1867. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  4. ^ "American Greetings to Buy Australian Card Unit". The New York Times. AP. 5 December 1995. Retrieved 1 December 2016.