{"id":466344,"date":"2022-08-30T10:30:03","date_gmt":"2022-08-30T08:30:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/blog\/?p=466344"},"modified":"2022-08-30T12:21:11","modified_gmt":"2022-08-30T10:21:11","slug":"hans-thomann-is-turning-60-happy-birthday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/blog\/en\/gear\/hans-thomann-is-turning-60-happy-birthday\/","title":{"rendered":"Hans Thomann is turning 60: Happy Birthday!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Picture this: it\u2019s 1962. Andy Warhol is tearing up the art scene, James Bond is making his first foray into cinema stardom. And while both the Beatles and Bob Dylan have their first vinyl records pressed, Hans Thomann, third of the Thomann family\u2019s five children, enters the world in idyllic Treppendorf.<\/p>\n

60 years on, he\u2019s the successful CEO of a flourishing family company which had started as a small music shop in the parental farm house. By 2022, Musikhaus Thomann has risen to the rank of one of the world\u2019s largest MI mail order businesses while still being based in the same village of 200 souls in Upper Franconia.<\/p>\n

\"Hans
Hans Thomann today in the lighting and PA department<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But who actually is Hans Thomann? First of all, he\u2019s a man we all simply know as \u201cHans\u201d, but whose actual name is \u201cJohann\u201d \u2013 as was his father\u2019s and grandfather\u2019s before. That Hans \/Johann (Junior) were one and the same person used to cause regular confusion \u2013 and amusement – in the past, especially when he was travelling together with his father, Hans\/Johann (Senior)!<\/p>\n

Not every international business partner immediately understood this German oddity \u2013 namely, that \u201cHans\u201d can be a proper first name as well as a nickname for people called \u201cJohann\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Hans
From left: Hans Thomann Junior, brother Stefan Thomann. Hans Thomann Senior and the sisters Doris, Gabriele and Elisabeth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Following the tracks \u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A small, cozy office in Treppendorf. The interior design screams 1970s. Innumerable black-and-white photos cover the walls. Stacks of boxes with decades-old receipts and purchasing contracts. All of these are memories, testimony and traces of past events, without which there wouldn\u2019t be what there is today. Hans Thomann Senior, the father<\/a> and founder of the music store, kept everything in his old office.<\/p>\n

\"Hans
Hans Thomann Senior’s old office 2022, today Gabi R\u00f6der-Thomann’s office<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The pictures and papers prove once thing most of all: success follows a dream, a vision. And this success has endured for years and decades, thanks to continuous commitment, business sense, and patience. Trust, courage and heart are some further ingredients in this special admixture which makes all this possible. A look back into the past leads us to the foundation of this musical success story.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The first receipt \u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Many may have asked themselves this question: what was the first instrument that Hans Thomann ever sold in his shop? Hans himself can\u2019t even remember \u2013 a lot of time has passed since, after all.<\/p>\n

\"Kaufvertrag
Hans’ first receipt<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But Thomann\u2019s bookkeeping department can provide some answers. We can at least submit the following documents: Hans signed his first receipt in his parent\u2019s shop when he was just eight or nine years old. He issued the first contract when he was a mere 14.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The store: always at the heart of everything \u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The store has always played a special part in the life of the family; especially for Hans. Whenever an unknown car stopped out in front, it may have been a customer, after all. So even as a six-year-old, Hans would immediately go over to the brand new main building of the store which boasted 150 square metres of sales floor on the family land.<\/p>\n

\"Ladengesch\u00e4ft
Thomann shop in the late 1980s<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Advising musicians, demonstrating instruments, setting up sheet music stands \u2013 the shop is Hans\u2019 early purpose in life. Working on the farm, helping customers, and then working on the accounts in his father\u2019s office late into the evening \u2013 this kept family busy around the clock, and Junior was in the thick of it. Even Sundays were days for delivering brass instruments to local ensembles \u2013 family outings of a special kind.<\/p>\n

\"Das
The shop in the 70s<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hard work and diligence characterised the daily work. The father, Hans Thomann Senior, was keen to make sure that the children would stay grounded and humble even as the business grew more and more successful. He had a significant influence on his offspring, imparting to them values and principles. Hans has inherited his father\u2019s business sense, good nature, and foresight. And his sense for the importance of trust.<\/p>\n

He remembers a special event in 1977. A young man back then, he bought new and exclusive amps from an Italian manufacturer. He was convinced of the products\u2019 superior qualities. The purchase from the Italian representative turned out to be more expensive than was usual for the store, but Hans Thomann Senior did not hold his son back. Thanks to skilful negotiating, the latter had gotten a good deal in his bold purchase.<\/p>\n

\"Der
The shop in the 80s<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cMy father said. Hans! Can we really sell all that? Are you sure?\u201d Hans Thomann remembers. \u201cI assured him that it wouldn\u2019t be a problem!\u201d \u2013 and Junior would be proven right. He sold all the amps without any problems. This was a success that was possible at least in part because Hans has a knack for knowing what musicians want, what excites them.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

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Customer loyalty from the start \u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Hans cultivates this close connection to the customers to this day, along with a respectful manner of dealing with them. The individual customer\u2019s wishes and needs always come first. If a customer is unhappy or complains, Hans often gets in touch with them himself to remove dissonance diplomatically, and to find a solution.<\/p>\n

\"Hans
Hans (right) in the shop in the living room, 1980s<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He also sets great story by how customers are welcomed to the store \u2013 first impressions count, after all. Whenever his busy schedule allows him to do so, he takes time for guests in Treppendorf; for example, he\u2019ll show them around the campus in person or join them for lunch in \u201ct.kitchen\u201d, the company canteen<\/p>\n

\"Kommentar
Comment from a customer on Facebook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He\u2019s also always available to his employees, whatever they may wish to talk about \u2013this may be in a quick chat in the admin building\u2019s hallways or at the monthly round table in the canteen. Hans is always approachable; he seeks out conversations with the staff and is keen to exchange views.<\/p>\n

\"Hans
Hans Thomann and employees at the 2019 Christmas party<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Music and craftsmanship \u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Only very few people know that Hans completed vocational trainings in two manual professions, not clerical ones, from age 15 on. He apprenticed both as a brass instrument builder and as a precision technician. He used to repair electronic parts of amps, organs and synthesizers in his dad\u2019s workshop \u2013 sometimes until deep into the night. \u201cI also did custom designs and modifications, e.g. of multicores for production,\u201d enthuses Hans.<\/p>\n

This is also how Thomann began to launch its own-brand lines, which are a bedrock of Thomann\u2019s reputation to this day. \u201cI just refused to accept that we couldn\u2019t make stuff like that available to musicians for less than 200 or 300 DM. More affordable had to be possible in some way,\u201d Hans explains. This special service becomes known through the grapevine \u2013 and significantly contributes to the company\u2019s success.<\/p>\n

Hans wanted to make music accessible to everyone, mainly through good products at good prices. This is what he still stands for. And the customers knew even back then: Hans is one of them, someone who understand them. A man with music in his blood.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A passion for life \u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Music \u2013 a passion that endures: Hans took his first steps into the world of music at the tender age of seven. The child makes the man, after all. He inherited is father\u2019s love for music form the cradle, so to speak: the father taught all his children an instrument at a young age. Later, they would go on to play together in the \u201cEbrachtaler Musikanten,\u201d an ensemble from nearby Burgebrach.<\/p>\n

\"Gemeinsames
The family making music together at Christmas: Hans Thomann Senior, son Stefan, daughter Elisabeth, daughter Doris, daughter Gabriele and son Hans Thomann Junior<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It all started with the Bb horn, and further instruments would follow; today, Hans is learning to play the drums, for example. And along with the passion for yoga that he shares with his wife, he has also started to play the guitar with her during the Corona pandemic.<\/p>\n

His personal taste in music remains very varied. To demonstrate stereo sets, he used to pump up the volume on \u201cLevel 42\u201d in the 1980s. This band\u2019s special sound and bass particularly underlined the set\u2019s strengths. Today, he listens to many kinds of music, depending on his mood. Classical, jazz, blues, or rock \u2013 Hans prefers not to follow a single furrow. He feels happy and at home in every genre, and he finds something he likes and appreciates in all styles of music.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Digital Pioneer \u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s jump forward in time to 1996. \u201cTake That\u201c, the British pop act, announce they\u2019re splitting up. And as the world loses one of the greatest hip hop legends ever in the US rapper Tupac Shakur, and bands such as \u201cLinkin Park\u201d and \u201cColdplay\u201d form, Musikhaus Thomann raises the standard of the digital revolution in the Franconian countryside. The \u201cinternet\u201d as arrived in quaint little Treppendorf.<\/p>\n

Without Hans Thomann, the go-ahead signal for thomann.de, one of the largest and best-stocked webstores worldwide today, would never have been given. Quick to act, the company was a trailblazer in music retail \u2013 one of the first MI stores to exist in the world wide web anywhere.<\/p>\n

Surely, Hans must have had concerns and moments of doubt. After all, he had only taken over the company\u2019s management from his father six years before, in 1990. And the internet was terra incognita for most back then.<\/p>\n

\"Website
Website thomann.de 1996<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At trade shows at the time, Hans spread the word of his website, a brand-new channel for online MI orders and larger-scale mail order business. This sounded outlandish to people, since information was exchanged almost exclusively in personal encounters back then. Trade shows had a certain importance: they were the hubs of the industry and the prime source of information on what was going on.<\/p>\n

Thus, the shaking heads at the shows. \u201cMusicians try out instruments they want to buy in the store, not at home!\u201d \u2013 this is what people overwhelmingly believed. But Hans would be proven right yet again. The internet with all its possibilities helped the company grow at an astonishing rate. Hans\u2019 foresight and his courage to take unprecedented steps paid off in spades. A true milestone in the company\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

By the way: the first instrument that left the warehouse in Treppendorf, Franconia, on an online order was a fender guitar for DM 1,000, which was sent to Sweden.<\/p>\n

\"Hans
Hans Thomann in the 1990s<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Back to the Future \u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n

How quickly time passes\u2026 from 1962 to 2022. Six decades of Hans Thomann \u2013 a musical journey through history. We, the Thomann staff in Treppendorf, congratulate you cordially and extend our thanks to a visionary of the music industry and an enthusiast like no other.<\/p>\n

Since 1966, much has changed, but throughout the 25 years of Hans\u2019 work one objective has been ever-present and remains so: making the company fit for the future. Hans Thomann ploughs every bit of profit back into the business.<\/p>\n

\"Hans
Hans Thomann in the dispatch warehouse today<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Large-scale projects are being realized in Treppendorf. The shop is being updated step by step; the sales floor will significantly increase over the coming years. A third admin building has just been ceremonially put into operation. At the same time, building work continues apace in the warehouse and logistics department; a third high-bay warehouse with about 40,000 pallet slots is being built. Likewise, a multi-storey car park for customers and employees is about to be opened.<\/p>\n

\"Hans
Hans Thomann in the shop in Treppendorf 2020<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Luftaufnahme
Aerial view of\u00a0 Thomann in Treppendorf<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lichtabteilung
Lighting department in the shop in Treppendorf 2021<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And another anniversary is approaching: in 2024, Musikhaus Thomann will celebrate the 70th<\/sup> anniversary of its founding. And from what we know about Hans and his drive, his passion for music and the company, he would surely love to shape the destiny of his company for another 60 years! From our heart, we hope that at least a good part of this wish will come true.<\/p>\n

Thank you, Hans! Your passion remains, as it has always been, an inspiration. Without you, Thomann just wouldn\u2019t be Thomann. Keep on rockin\u2019!<\/p>\n

\"Thomann
Thomann Shop in Treppendorf today<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Gitarrenabteilung
Thomann’s guitar department in Treppendorf<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"In
In the brass department at Thomann<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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On trust, courage and heart – Thomann\u2019s boss is turning 60 today, and we will sketch the portrait of a man who, as the CEO of Europe\u2019s largest MI retailer, is above all a model of inspiration and passion. His life has been dedicated to music \u2013 but this is not nearly all there is.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":466361,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tblog_post_audio_url":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1083],"tags":[21701,16683,21695],"class_list":["post-466344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gear","tag-60th-birthday","tag-anniversary","tag-hans-thomann-en"],"category_colors":{"color_key":"gear","css_classes":{"text":"cat-gear","text_light":"cat-gear-light","bg":"cat-bg-gear","bg_light":"cat-bg-gear-light","border":"cat-border-gear","text_on_bg":"cat-text-on-gear"}},"reading_time":{"minutes":11,"formatted":"11 min"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=466344"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466344\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/466361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=466344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=466344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=466344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}