Music retailer Sanity closing final 50 stores across Australia

One of the last holdouts against the digital revolution has fallen on its sword, with Aussie music retailer Sanity closing its doors.

Sanity2

Sanity – at one point the nation’s biggest music retailer – will close all of its bricks and mortar stores by the end of April.

The retailer, founded in Melbourne by billionaire businessman Brett Blundy, announced on Wednesday it will close its remaining 50 physical stores best known for selling CDs and DVDs.

This includes six outlets dotted throughout regional Victoria in Horsham, Bendigo, Sale, Traralgon, Warragul and Warrnambool.

Sanity owner Ray Itaoui, who bought the company from Mr Blundy in 2009, said the brand would continue as an online retailer.

“With our customers shifting to digital for their visual and music content consumption, and with diminishing physical content available to sell to our customer, it has made it impossible to continue with our physical stores,” Mr Itaoui said.

“Our online business — sanity.com.au — will continue to operate, and will service the many loyal customers the brand has continued to be dedicated to over the decades.

A closure of entertainment retailer Sanity will affect three Cairns retail outlets. Picture: Peter Carruthers

“Our priority right now is to ensure each of our team members knows exactly what this means for their career and employment future.”

Mr Itaoui said customers would receive orders, including all pre-orders, which will be dispatched through its online business if the store is closed by the time of the release.

All gift vouchers will be redeemable online.

Sanity started life in 1980 as a single store called Jetts operating in a shopping centre in Pakenham.

Mr Blundy, whose other retailer ventures include Bras ‘N’ Things and Lovisa Jewellery, was 20 years old at the time.

Jetts was rebranded Sanity in 1992 with the first store opening under that name at what is now Westfield Doncaster.

At its peak Sanity operated more than 270 stores — opening 45 alone in the year 2000-01 financial year — and bought up fallen rivals including Brashs and HMV locally and Virgin Music in the UK.

The latter deal saw it reintroduce Virgin Music stores across Australia including a megastore at the Jam Factory in Chapel St in 2002.

Mr Itaoui said there was “much to be proud of” in the Sanity brand.

“With Brett Blundy building Sanity from the ground up in 1980 – going on to become one of Australia’s most respected and recognisable retailers – the Sanity brand became synonymous with the go-to place to get anything that mattered in the world of music: from vinyl, to CDs and DVDs, hardware, accessories, and of course face-to-face advice on everything musical,” he said.

“The business prospered and remained successful for many years, thanks to the dedication and commitment of our entire team.”