On 5 February 1979, he sold his business to James Gerald Gulliver of Argyll Foods for £100,000. The deal also included a 16 per cent stake in Manchester United for Gulliver, who became a vice-president of the club. Edwards retired from the business world apart from his four-days-a-month consultancy position for Gulliver. He devoted his full-time commitments towards Manchester United and was at Old Trafford most days. Initially, Edwards' business retained the name Louis C. Edwards and Sons but changed its name in October 1980. Gulliver bought 500,000 of the family's shares at 5p each.