| Company type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Musical instruments [1] |
| Founded | 1884 [2] |
| Founder | Alexander Parker Willis [3] |
| Headquarters | Landshut, Germany |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Grand pianos and upright pianos |
| Website | willispiano.com |
Willis & Co. is a piano manufacturer, formerly founded in 1884 by Alexander Parker Willis and based in Landshut, Bavaria, Germany. [4] A retailer of Willis & Co. in Canada was sold by the Willis family in 1967, [4] and went out of business in 1979. [5] The global branch was merged with the Landshut Willis company in Germany. [4]
In 1884, a retailer of Willis & Co. was established in Quebec, Montreal [6] by Alexander Parker Willis. [4]
In 1900, Willis & Co. acquired the major shares of the Lesage & Fils piano factory. [7]
In 1907, Willis & Co. purchased controlling interest in the Lesage Piano Company and the firm started producing “Willis & Company” brand pianos full time. [8]
In 1910, at its peak, Willis & Co. made close to 3000 pianos each year. [9]
In 1967, the Canadian retailer was vended by the Willis family, and the global branch was merged with the Landshut Willis company in Germany. [4]
On August 30, 1976, brand Willis (registered number:DE948592 [10] ) was approved by German Patent and Trade Mark Office, and lapsed in 1996. [10]
Willis' current trademark entry took place on June 29, 2016, and was registered bei Seiler Pianofortefabrik GmbH, Kitzingen, DE. [11] whose current registered number is DE302016214832. [12]