Major Owen rejoins BAGMA

BAGMA’S NEW GENERAL manager, Nick Darking, and business development manager Richard Jenkins recently visited Major Owen in North Wales and met with managing director Andy Jones to talk through the training and services available to BAGMA members and to find out more about Major Owen.

The business was established in January 1977 by Major Raymond Owen and operated from his garden shed at his home in Penrhyndeudraeth. As demand for outdoor power products increased and petrol-powered equipment became more widely available, Major moved to his first retail premises in School Street, Penrhyndeudraeth. In 1984, he was on the move again and took up a lease on the Old Market Hall in the centre of the village and was joined by his son-in-laws David Burnham and Andy Jones.

As the volume of business increased, it soon became apparent that a purpose-built premises was necessary and in 1988 two acres of land was purchased at their current location, Park Road, Penrhyndeudraeth, where a building of 5,000sq ft was erected.

Since that time, expansion has continued and this site now houses approximately 18,500sq ft of covered trading space, incorporating showroom, workshop, parts, warehousing and administration areas.

In 2008, Andy Jones was appointed managing director, supported by Deborah Burnham as finance director.

Major R Owen Ltd holds several key franchises and supplies grounds maintenance equipment and garden machinery to both the professional and homeowner sectors. These franchises include Kubota, Hayter, Toro, Gianni Ferrari, Stihl, Husqvarna and Honda. For more than 15 years, they have been actively developing a construction machinery side.

After re-joining BAGMA, Andy said: “For us, the Installation and Handover training is a must for our customers.”