The Swedish company Zound Industries has become one of the “big small players” in the market for portable speakers and wireless headphones. If you don’t recognize the name, it’s because most of the company’s products are sold under the Marshall brand.
Marshall is a British manufacturer of professional equipment for live performances and recording, and is known for example for its guitar amplifiers that have been used by Jimi Hendrix and other legendary guitarists.
Until now, Zound Industries has used the Marshall brand under license, but now the Swedish manufacturer has bought up the British one in a deal which means that the Marshall family, with 24 percent, will become the largest shareholder in the new company Marshall Group. The combined turnover is currently around SEK 3.5 billion.
In an interview with The Verge says Zound Industries CEO who now becomes CEO of Marshall Group, Jeremy de Maillard, that he sees the acquisition as a way to combine the companies’ expertise and not just to avoid paying license fees.
There will be no immediate changes, and Jeremy de Maillard points out that they have already worked closely together for many years.
– We have not made a single product that has not been approved by the acoustic engineer at Marshall Amps.
