Marshall Group

The story begins in a small London music shop in 1962. The owner, a drummer named Jim Marshall, and his son Terry, noticed a gap in the market. Local guitarists, including a young Pete Townshend, were searching for a sound that American-made amplifiers couldn't deliver—they wanted it louder. Tapping into this need, Marshall and his son built their first amplifier, the JTM45, laying the foundation for what would become the definitive sound of rock and roll. The company's reputation grew quickly. By creating the iconic Marshall Stack—a powerful amp head sitting on two speaker cabinets—they became synonymous with the big stage presence of artists like Jimi Hendrix and The Who. For decades, Marshall Amplification was a family-run British institution, the undisputed king of loud. A pivotal chapter began in 2010 when Marshall licensed its brand to Zound Industries, a Swedish tech company, to create headphones and consumer speakers. This partnership proved incredibly successful. In March 2023, the two companies merged, with Zound Industries acquiring Marshall Amplification to form the new Marshall Group. Under the terms of the deal, the Marshall family became the largest single shareholder in the new entity, ensuring their legacy would continue while leveraging Zound's expertise in the consumer market. This fusion created a global audio powerhouse with a combined revenue of over $360 million.