Description
Back
in the mid-60s, a desire for independence in business led to
John Hornby Skewes forming a small musical instrument agency
and wholesale business based at his home address in Garforth,
near Leeds, England. Previously a sales representative with
Hohner, followed by a short stint with legendary early 60's
British guitar company Fenton-Weill, John Skewes had learnt
enough about serving the music trade to make the most of his
own opportunity for involvement.
With
the help of wife Madge, his new business steadily began to take
off, and soon his home address was no longer capable of holding
the now-considerable throughput of musical merchandise which by
this time included some self-branded lines, and so the first of
various local storage premises were acquired by means of expansion.
At one time, these included the old Garforth cinema and car park,
the old victorian Police Station and two Methodist chapels.
In
late 1965 and now firmly established as a limited company, JHS joined
the burgeoning government-inspired export market drive by securing
their first international customers, reinforced by a company presence
at the following year's Frankfurt Music Fair, since which time the
company has attended annually with an ever-stronger presence.
JHS
was one of the first companies to appreciate the manufacturing benefits
of a truly international catalogue, and since those early steps
abroad, imported merchandise has taken precedence in the JHS catalogue,
with the Far East and the USA playing a prominent role in providing
JHS with catalogue supply. |
