FEATURE
THE ANJO GROUP A Legacy of Quality
Francis Anjo OBE (second from left) escorts Princess Margaret on a tour of Nelson’s Dockyard with then Premiere Hon Sir V.C. Bird (left).
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hether service or products, one thing remains ingrained in the very core of the Anjo Group - quality. Reputed for over 100 years with quality, AWH Holdings Ltd continues this legacy today in Anjo Insurances and Anjo Wholesale. Notwithstanding the number of loyal clients who have remained with the companies over the years, their employees’ unbroken years of service also attests to the dedication, honesty and quality of the companies over the century. While Anjo may be a household name for many, what may surprise you is that John R. Anjo began this legacy with a simple barber shop on High Street in 1890. His wife, Mary, rolled cigarettes for his customers and the modest space soon became a full scale Tobacconist. The Barber Shop and Tobacconist thus began trading as John R. Anjo. John r. Anjo left the island of Madeira as a teenager in the 1860s and travelled to Antigua. He survived by working as a labourer for several years and eventually married a native Antiguan, Mary Francis. The young couple had four children – three sons and a daughter.
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BusinessFocus • September/October 2013 BusinessFocus • September/October 2013
(l-r) John R. Anjo I, John R. Anjo II and John R. Anjo III.
During the 1920s, his son Francis joined the business and was instrumental in introducing commission and insurance agencies together with a wholesale. The new entity, John & Francis Anjo, rapidly became one of Antigua’s most respected firms. In 1928, the insurance department was added. In 1958, young John III, grandson of John R. Anjo, joined the business and some 12 years later succeeded in acquiring the firm from his Uncle Francis. Three separate divisions were created – John & Francis Anjo Retail Division, which remained on High Street; Anjo Wholesale which was relocated to its present location on American Road; and Anjo Insurances was housed on Long Street, which is currently housed at the Woods Centre. In 1985, the company AWH Holdings Ltd was formed and incorporated specifically to acquire the established proprietary trading divisions known as John & Francis Anjo, Anjo Insurances and Anjo Wholesale. The shareholders of AWH Holdings Ltd were all Antigua nationals of several generations and were comprised of the management of the above trading divisions.