It is the end of an era for Musica stores across South Africa – they officially closed their doors to customers on Wednesday, 26 May. Nostalgia and sadness filled their final post on social media where they bid farewell to customers who they’ve served since 1992.
The first Musica branded store opened in 1992 to much fanfare – back then it was one of few music stores where you could shop the latest and greatest CD’s, LP’s, DVD’s and even cassettes.
The decline in consumers purchasing these goods in hard copy has been a contributing factor to the brand’s demise. The tipping point was the Covid-19 pandemic which led to a massive decline in foot traffic through stores.
In January, the holding company Clicks announced they would be shutting down all stores after several years of decline in sales.
At the time, they said Musica had been operating in a declining market for for several years owing to the structural shift globally to the digital consumption of music, movies and games from the traditional physical format.
“The inevitable demise of the brand has been accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic which resulted in the rapid decline in foot traffic in destination malls where Musica stores are typically located,” Clicks said.
They set down 31 May 2021 as the final trading day for the 59 remaining outlets across the country.
Facebook users shared their disappointment in the store closures.
“My personal history with Musica runs all the way back to 1986 so sad to see the end of an era. Thanks for the countless cassettes, CDs, VHS tapes, DVDs and Blu-ray bought from you. You will be missed!” said one.
“You were part of our lives you were the go to shop for the soul we will miss you so much Musica thank you for great service over the years and for each album that was special that i bought from you,” said another.
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