W. Marks Ltd was formed in 1930 and rebranded as Radio Corporation of New Zealand Ltd in 1933.
The following is an excerpt from the early history of Radio Corporation of New Zealand, which had its roots in W. Marks Ltd.
William Markoff emigrated from Russia in 1926, changed his name to Marks and began working as an electrician for the Wellington City Council. In 1930 he started his own business repairing electrical equipment, making amplifiers and winding transformers in a small shop in Cornhill St, and the company was formalised in 1931 as W. Marks Ltd.
EVENING POST 5 DECEMBER 1931
Also in 1931, Marks struck a relationship with Stewart Hardware on Courtenay Place who became the distributors for his new radio receiver - a simple design using a crystal detector and 2-valve amplifier. That radio was the first 'Courtenay', but it definitely wouldn't be the last.
By the end of 1932 Marks made his intentions for the company clear, changing the name to Radio Corporation (N.Z.) Ltd. His staff now numbered close to 50 and the company was producing around 500 radios per month.
Marks produced a few different brands at this time - including Acme, and of course Courtenay which would go on to be one of the leading brand names in NZ-manufactured radio. The Courtenay radio listings can be found under Radio Corporation of New Zealand Ltd.
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