Financier Sir Ron Brierley's Guinness Peat Group made an unsolicited bid for the company in January 1998, but was outbid by Mattel acting as a white knight.
Allen was chairman of British National Oil Corporation (BNOC) from 1982 to 1986, of Guinness Peat Group (1982–87), and of Trinity Insurance Ltd (1987–92).
Guinness World Records | Universal Music Group | Guinness | Warner Music Group | Coxeter group | Alec Guinness | Volkswagen Group | Group of 77 | RTL Group | girl group | BT Group | ABB Group | Group One | Virgin Group | Thales Group | ING Group | group | Rio Tinto Group | Bloomsbury Group | Penguin Group | Carlsberg Group | Borders Group | Arup Group Limited | Benetton Group | Stagecoach Group | LMFAO (group) | Anschutz Entertainment Group | Tata Group | Rootes Group | Westfield Group |