Industry Musical instruments Website www.dawsons.co.uk Headquarters Warrington Type Privately held company | Founder John Dawson Number of employees 100 Founded 1898 | |
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Key people Thomas David Briggs, MBE, KstJ, Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire (Executive Chair)
Mark Taylor (MD), Products Musical instruments and equipment Profiles | ||
Dawsons Music, founded in 1898, is a British retail chain which sells musical instruments, equipment and accessories. It has 11 stores, largely across the North of England, as well as an internet and mail order service and an education division.
The company is wholly owned by Thomas David Briggs MBE and family. Mr Briggs is no longer involved with the day-to-day running of the business since his appointment as Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire in 2010, however he remains incumbent as the company's executive chairman. The company employs over 100 staff.
History
Dawsons Music was established in 1898 in Warrington by John Dawson, a piano tuner, who opened the shop to cater for growing demand from people wanting to buy new instruments.
The company was owned by CJ & JA Dawsons Ltd until 1980, when it was purchased by Thomas David Briggs MBE. In 2010, Mr Briggs was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire, responsible for a range of civic duties in the Cheshire region.
In 2011, Mark Taylor was appointed as Dawsons' new managing director. His appointment made him only the fifth managing director in the company's 115 year history.
In 2004 Dawsons began working with Farida Guitars as the sole UK distributor. Through its association with Dawsons, Farida established relationships with artists like Frank Turner, Bombay Bicycle Club and The Vaccines, creating limited edition 'signature' guitars for each artist. Dawsons' Manchester store was one of many United Kingdom city centre locations hit by the 2011 England Riots. Thousands of pounds worth of musical instruments and equipment was stolen, and the store was heavily damaged.
In 2014, Dawsons announced its trading results over the 2013 Christmas period were the strongest in its history, and it became one of the first retailers in the UK to report how sales from mobile devices were quickly catching up with sales from traditional online sources.