Guitar Center set to gain customers as Sam Ash closes locations

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Around a third of Sam Ash customers shopped at Guitar Center in the last year, suggesting that they have the most business to gain as Sam Ash closes, according to Earnest credit card data. Sam Ash Music was a musical instrument retailer with over 40 stores in the United States. All Sam Ash locations closed effective May 2nd, 2024.  

The eponymous Sam Ash was founded in 1924, in Brooklyn, New York. The company sold a wide variety of musical instruments, including guitars, drums, keyboards, and amplifiers. The company also offered music lessons and repairs, but operated in a difficult macro environment. Music instrument and accessory sales in the US decelerated sharply after the pandemic. By 2022, sales across major music stores declined YoY (access data in Dash) and has not returned to growth since.