EXCLUSIVE: Mark Amory, the Yamaha Music Australia General Manager for musical instruments who earlier this month was accused by senior JB Hi Fi management of reneging on a handshake deal to supply the retailer with musical instruments appears to have done the same with a Company part owned by one Australia’s richest men.
The Japanese music Company whose AV products got kicked out of JB Hi Fi after senior management accused them of being an ‘unethical” Company has again been accused of acting in an “unprofessional and unethical manner” by a senior director of the Exclusive Piano Group a musical instruments Company that is part owned by transport tycoon Lindsay Fox.
The Company who sell Steinway Piano’s and other musical instruments claim that Yamaha management agreed on a deal to supply brass and woodwind instruments for a new store the Company was opening in Adelaide.
Mark O Connor, a director with Fox in the EPG Group, claims that Yamaha management agreed to supply instruments for the new retail location, “Yamaha management also pushed to supply a new store we are set to open in Chapel Street Melbourne” said O Connor.
He claimed that after several telephone calls with the Finance Director of Yamaha Music Australia his Company was set to range Yamaha brass and wood wind instruments in their Adelaide store.
“We had a handshake deal with Mark Amory for Yamaha to supply us with brass and wood wind instruments, I personally spoke their Finance Director, we then placed an order, a short time later Yamaha management came back to us claiming that the deal was off and Yamaha would not supply our Company” said O Connor.
When we asked him why, he said that we had not supplied enough documents or paperwork about the Company. “We said we would pay cash” yet despite this he still refused to supply us. “Lindsay was furious as he has done millions of dollars’ worth of deals on the shake of a hand”.
“We told Yamaha management that their actions were unprofessional and unethical and that they were not true to their word. Since then we have moved on and created deals with their competitors such Kawai Australia. We are not prepared to deal with them in any capacity” said O Connor.
Earlier this month Terry Smart the CEO of JB Hi Fi accused Amory of backing out on a deal to supply musical instruments to JB Hi Fi and JB Hi Fi Commercial who sell products into schools and education organisations. (See story here).
Neither Mark Amory, nor Yamaha Australia have responded to our emails for comment.
