One thought that had been in the company's mind for a long time was the desirability of having a retail outlet. There was no ambition to enter the retail side of the trade on any great scale, but it was felt that a shop window in London's West End, the centre of the London musical scene, could bring advantages in the way of prestige, evaluation of new products and direct contact with professional musicians.
Such a store could be a useful showroom for visitors from overseas, who could inspect RM products in surroundings familiar to them – a retail showroom as an adjunct to the existing trade showroom at Gordon House Road.
The prospect of the company competing with its own customers was viewed with mixed feelings, however when the retail showrooms opened they were accepted by the retail trade in the area in a most neighbourly manner, and a degree of co-operation emerged that seemed impossible at first thought.
In October 1967 the Retail Showrooms opened under the management of R. J. Hannaford with a reception at the new premises - a happy event, at which friends, old and new, were present. Situated at 81-83 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 - midway between Piccadilly Circus and Cambridge Circus in the heart of London's theatreland, the new showrooms cover two large floors with storage beneath and the double display windows are, for RM, truly a window on the world.
By now the electronic organ business had crystallised into two distinct parts - the concert organ (which heading is intended to include instruments suitable for places of worship and for the player demanding an elaborate specification) and the home organ - a more simple range of instruments, some designed to blend with domestic decor, some with portability their essence.
Concert organs were available at the retail showrooms: for the trade generally RM decided to cater for the large-volume demand, and set about importing and promoting home organs, less elaborate than the larger models and at prices that it was thought would appeal to a wide stratum of the public. The remarkable success of the 'Gem' range of electronic organs was the outcome. A separate department was set up at Gordon House Road, equipped and staffed for dealing with organs: here electronic and electrically-blown organs are tested before despatch, and service facilities exist for repairs when necessary and for service advice to retail dealers.
Photo: The Rose-Morris Showrooms at 81-83 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1 – a stone's throw from Piccadilly Circus.