One of the UK's best-known bricks-and-mortar music retailers, Brighton's GAK, has been closed since Tuesday March 25, allegedly for “maintenance”, and its website – one of the largest online retailers in the country – taken offline.
The unannounced closure – unusual for a store that is typically open seven days a week – has fueled online speculation, especially since concrete information about the future of the business remains scarce.
According to local newspaper The Argus, one customer who ordered a guitar from the online store was left in the dark about the status of their order, simply receiving an email stating: “Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances the shop is closed and we’re unable to do any trading for the time being.”
The Argus also reports that neighboring shops “expressed confusion” about the store's unannounced closure – especially considering it has been a Brighton staple for over 30 years.
In addition, the listings on GAK's Reverb store have been pulled, and the store currently marked as “permanently closed” on Google Maps – although at the time of writing its social media channels remain active.
Furthermore, a fast sale request for a musical instrument retailer and supplier in the South East of England, with a turnover of £20,364,000, has gone up on Business Sale Report, which describes itself as “the UK’s leading marketplace of small and mid-market businesses for sale.”
The sale statement reads: “An exciting opportunity to acquire one of the UK's largest and most trusted musical instrument retailers. Offers are invited from serious buyers. Initial offers are to be submitted by 5pm on Friday 28th March 2025, with best and final offers to be submitted by 5pm on Monday 31 March 2025.”
GAK, which stands for Guitar, Amp and Keyboard, started back in 1992 with one man – Gary Marshall – a market stall, and a vision of creating a down-to-earth, unpretentious and welcoming space for musicians.
It was one of the first retailers in the UK to offer a mail-order service, later expanding its reach by launching an online store in 2002.
In 2021, GAK was acquired by co-managing directors Ian Stephens and Max McKellar, with a business strategy to continue growing its online presence.
At the time of the acquisition, Stephens and McKellar told The Argus, “While GAK and the music industry have encountered and overcome challenges in recent years, we are now perfectly placed to take advantage of both short and long-term opportunities.”
Across the pond, Forbes reports that the musical instruments retail market dropped 3% last year – down to $7.3 billion from $7.5 billion in 2023. The 42-store Sam Ash chain closed all its US stores in March 2024.
According to Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto, existing physical guitar stores must seriously adapt their strategies to survive – and even thrive – in the current environment.
Guitar World has reached out to GAK for comment. This is a developing story.
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