John Ross Menzies


1852 - 1935

Newsagent and wholesale publisher. Born in Edinburgh. Along with his brother, Charles, Menzies joined the business which had been established in 1833 by his father, John Menzies (1808-79) on the city's Princes Street. As Chairman, Menzies was responsible for a significant expansion, particularly of the retail business.

The company grew to become a household name, second only in size to their English competitor W.H. Smith to whom their retail outlets were eventually sold in 1998. Thereafter the company concentrated in newspaper and magazine distribution, together with more recent ventures such as airline services and computer games, but remains based at 108 Princes Street.


Use the tabs on the right of this page to see other parts of this entry arrow

If you have found this information useful please consider making
a donation to help maintain and improve this resource. More info...

By using our site you agree to accept cookies, which help us serve you better