Stalwart Melb Music Store Mannys Has Been Sold To The Country's Biggest DJ Retailer

Long-serving Fitzroy music store Mannys Musical Instruments & Pro Audio has been sold to the operator of Australia's largest DJ and production retailer, Store DJ.

After more than two decades of operation, Mannys will be welcomed to the fold of SoundBay Pty Ltd, which has, over the past decade, steered Store DJ from humble home-office origins to a network of bricks-and-mortar addresses, numbering more than 100 and enabling delivery around the country.

According to SoundBay owner Jeremy Leitch, the acquisition will entail something of a ground-up reimagining for the stalwart music store over the next half-year or so.

"Our mission for Mannys Music is to ensure that our customers have the ultimate experience online or in our store," Leitch said in a statement. "This will require a redesign of the current systems, processes and store layout, and we are excited about delivering this over the course of the next six months."

Founded in 1991 by Manny Gauci-Seddon at a smaller premises in Collingwood (incidentally, on Smith Street), Mannys had outgrown its original space within the decade, relocating to Johnson Street, in Fitzroy, in 1998. Soon, he would move again to Georges Road, in Fitzroy North, where the store has resided since, growing and maintaining its reputation for providing helpful advice and personable service to curious and serious browsers alike.

That feature won't be going anywhere with the change of ownership, with SoundBay keeping on a number of existing or previous Mannys employees as well as possessing their own enthusiastic and knowledgeable roster with an eye to delivering "the most advanced and streamlined online ordering process, competitive pricing and the largest range of musical instruments, lighting, staging, studio and DJ equipment", according to promotional material.

Extra-encouragingly, customers of Mannys' well-loved Music School will not be left out in the cold — lessons in guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, singing and more will still be available at the reimagined premises.

For more information as the changes take hold, keep an eye on Mannys' Facebook page.