Cyril Shack, the entrepreneur who supplied the jukebox featured on the television programme Juke Box Jury and once appeared as a panelist on the show, has died at the age of 99. His son, Jonathan Shack, confirmed the death.
From messenger boy to stock exchange listing
Born in London to Polish parents, Avigdor Shakowitz, a milkman, and Annie (née Gastfreund), who ran a corner shop in Whitechapel, Cyril Shack left school at 13. He began working as a messenger in Blackfriars and later drove a truck to collect supplies for the family shop. Despite failing night school exams, he acquired basic accountancy knowledge.
In the 1950s, while running a greengrocery in north-west London, Shack partnered with Gordon Marks to buy jukeboxes for leasing to coffee bars. This venture, initially named Phonographic Equipment and later Associated Leisure, expanded into pinball and fruit machines. The company was floated on the London Stock Exchange in the mid-1960s, transforming his fortunes.
Juke Box Jury and diversification
Shack's company supplied the jukebox for the popular Saturday evening BBC show Juke Box Jury, and he once served as a panel member. The business later diversified into other areas, but an unwise investment in a Mayfair casino fronted by Hollywood actor George Raft led to financial difficulties. This was compounded when the company launched a hostile takeover bid for Butlin's holiday camps.
During the ensuing public dispute, an article in the Daily Mail allegedly suggested the bid might be linked to US organised crime. Shack, as managing director, sued for libel but lost the case, as the court found no specific reference to the company.
Later life and legacy
After being forced out as a director and major shareholder, Shack used his remaining funds to set up smaller businesses until retirement. He befriended the trial judge, Sir Frederick Lawton, visiting him regularly. Outside work, he enjoyed landscaping his garden and helping friends with construction projects free of charge.
Shack married Brenda Robins in 1953. She survives him, along with their two sons, Jonathan and the article's author, two grandsons, and two great-grandsons.
