Columbia Graphophone Company Of Greece Limited

Usually imprinted as the acronym C.G.C.G. Ltd.
Please, consider also Columbia Gramophone Company Greece Ltd. if stated that way on the release.

The factory of the British Columbia (EMI Columbia) in Greece, owned by the local EMI subsidiary and located in Rizoúpoli, Athens. Established 7 February 1930 after the partnership between Columbia Graphophone Company Ltd. (owned by Electric & Musical Industries Ltd.) and the Greek investor Αφοί Λαμπρόπουλοι. Company capital: 1,875,000 drachmas. Shares: 18,750, nominal value 100 drachmas each. Company duration: 50 years. Shareholders: Columbia-Graphophone 15,750 shares - William Force, Francis Duncan and Themistoklís Lambrópoulos 1,000 shares each. Succeeded by Columbia-EMI Greece S.A. about 1975.

Columbia Graphophone Company of Greece Ltd. was the biggest manufacturing, recording and mastering factory in Greece. The facilities of Columbia consisted of 8 buildings: two buildings housed 3 different recording studios (Columbia Studios, Columbia Studio II & Columbia Studio III); four buildings housed mastering, lacquer cutting, printing, and quality control/packaging/distributing/retailing facilities; two buildings, where administration and accounting management were housed.
The printery had two printing machines for the labels and covers, and one for creasing (folding) the covers & manufacturing of packaging boxes. In April 1971, it was technologically modernized with offset production and upgraded to one of the most modern lithographies in Greece.
The radio manufacturing department from 1947 (suspended on 20 August 1953), the compact cassette/8-track cartridge manufacturing department from 1970, and the computerized information systems centre from 1974 were housed on the same premises.

On 27 April 1942, the factory was commandeered by the German occupying forces and operated as a garage for military vehicles. On 12 September 1946, the factory was commandeered by the Greek Royal Air Force. From 9 April 1949, they marketed MGM Records, and, from 3 May 1952, RCA in Greece.
Post-war, Columbia reached high levels of development as it started exporting vinyl records and cassettes to foreign countries, especially to the Arab market. However, sound recordings ceased in 1983. The factory ceased operation on 30 April 1991 after EMI Greece S.A. (which owned the Greek division of EMI Ltd.) merged with Μίνως Μάτσας & Υιός Α.Ε. to form Minos-EMI S.A. Major efforts were then undertaken in order to preserve the factory and transform it into a museum of recording history of Greece. In 2006, the majority of Columbia buildings were demolished and the remaining facilities were abandoned.