Guinness World Records Moves to Vancouver

Flamboyant Canadian businessman Jimmy Pattison announced today that he has purchased Guinness World Records from the UK’s HIT Entertainment for “an undisclosed price” according to a story in Report on Business.

Mr. Pattison’s business empire already had a link with Guinness World Records, which first published its annual book of weird and wonderful -- as well as more prosaic achievements in 1955 and has turned it into what it claims is the best-selling copyrighted book ever.

Pattison’s privately held company, The Jim Pattison Group, is the third largest in Canada with sales of over 6.3 billion dollars (CDN) and close to 30,000 employees. In 2006 Pattison himself was listed at # 194 on Forbes’ list of the world’s richest people.

The Report on Business story is here. Forbes chimes in here.