Musica has closed 19 stores since the start of the 2021 financial year and is currently trading from 59 outlets. The remaining stores will be closed as leases expire over the next four months when the majority of leases terminate. Clicks acquired Musica, which was the country’s leading music retail brand at the time, at a cost of R1.2 million in 1992. Through this acquisition, Clicks became South Africa’s leading music retailer with more than 140 stores across the country.

Musica was so successful that Clicks decided to launch Musica Megastores in 2006 which offered customers over 30,000 CD and DVD titles in large format stores. The Musica Megastores, which ranged in size from 650m² to 1,600m², were located in Rosebank, Sandton, Gateway, and the V A Waterfront. As the demand for CDs and DVDs declined, Clicks repositioned Musica to also stock speakers, headphones, vintage, and modern styled karaoke machines, and cell phone accessories.

Musica customers can also earn money back from their purchases by using the Clicks ClubCard on each purchase. These interventions prolonged the life of Musica beyond its competitors like Look Listen, but the growth of the Internet and digital entertainment ultimately killed the company. Clicks said Musica has been operating in a declining market 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.

In the stores which have been closed since September 2020, the Musica staff have been absorbed into the Clicks Group’s expanding health and beauty store network. Clicks said further detail on the financial and operational impact of Musica’s closure will be communicated to shareholders with the release of the group’s interim results in April 2021.