AFTER four decades, Hereford’s own ‘Top Gun’ has a shrewd lock, stock and barrel knowledge of his job at one of the city’s oldest businesses, and what’s more he has no plans to take his hand off the trigger yet awhile.

In 1978 Mark Jones started work as a Saturday boy at the family-run department store where he found not only fulfilling employment but also true love. It was on the shop floor at this multi-faceted enterprise, founded in the 19th century, that Mark met Joy, and the rest is history.

Mark, aged 56, has seen many changes at Philip Morris & Son over the years, but through everything he remains a recognisable, friendly face to customers. He has worked in most departments in the business, which sells country, shooting and fishing clothing and equipment, and now manages the gunroom upstairs.

Says managing partner, Bruce Jones: “Mark is always willing to give his expert opinion to any members of the public that venture in to our gunroom.” Mark praises the help he received from customers during his early career. “A lot of the knowledge they imparted to me was very helpful,” he says.

Widemarsh Street was an area of town Mark knew well as a schoolboy: his father, the late Josh Jones ran a gents’ hairdressing business round the corner in Maylord Street, and his mother, Ella brought him in on his first day. “My father wasn’t a million miles away from me so we’d come into work together from Wormbridge.

When Goldings ironmongery business was devastated by fire in December 1983, one young employee sought work at Philip Morris & Son. “Love her heart,” says Mark, who blesses the day Joy joined the team at Widemarsh Street. “We have two excellent sons, Craig and Sam, a daughter-in-law Emma and a grandson, Harry.”

Of course the streetscape has changed since Mark’s early days in the job. He laments the loss of big department stores such as Greenlands, Chadds and Lindsey Price, and feels himself “very lucky” to work for an independent business in town. “It’s frightening to hear that some of the top high street names are under threat.”

But he points out that his first employers, Maurice and Bunty Jones set a good example running Philip Morris & Son. “They wouldn’t ask us to do anything they hadn’t already done themselves, and now their sons have pushed the business on.”

He continues: “It was a tragedy to lose stores like Chadds but we’re lucky to work for a business which has the foresight to invest and push the business on, and long may we continue.”