Sunrise Records to close both Toronto downtown locations

http://www.blogto.com/music/2014/09/sunrise_records_closing_its_downtown_toronto_stores/

All explained in the linked story

Close Nov 15 and there appears yi be a 40% sale on

Eddie

 

Damn. I find this sadder than when Sam's closed. Maybe because having this store there offered hope.

40% off, eh?

 

I was in Kitchener's Fairview Park Mall the other day and noticed the Sunrise there was gone too. It may have been gone a few months - I think I remember the entrance being blocked off the last time I was in the mall.

Still sad news. Let me guess, it will be replaced by a cellphone store.

 

Don't think this has been mentioned yet....

http://www.torontolife.com/style/to...unrise-records-closing-two-toronto-locations/

 

That sucks!! I visit the store near Yonge & Dundas about once a month (was actually just there today!)... and although their CD selection is pretty abysmal, I'm always able to find DVDs there that no one else ever seems to carry. This will make one less place where I can find all my obscure foreign & horror titles.... guess I better make at least one more trip there before November 15th!

So the chain's new owner has decided to focus on the other locations, but close down the 2 locations right in the downtown core of the most populous city in Canada? Is he a f**king idiot or something?

 

I can't be glad about any record store closing these days, but Sunrise is a pretty bad store. Not surprised they're closing. Why carry vinyl if you have to price it 25% higher than your competitors? Serious music fans have much better options for both price and selection. Casual music buyers...... probably don't buy a lot from B&M stores these days anyway. DVD's and novelty items..... I don't know how much appeal they hold these days.

 

I thought something was up when they were selling some great CDs/DVDs for cheap lately in clearance bins (which they normally don't have at the Yonge/Dundas location). Today I was in there and they had some amazing deals.

I will miss Sunrise. I am surprised they are not keeping the Yonge/Dundas store. I thought they might close the Bloor location but the Dundas spot seemed to have decent sales.

 

The store in Kitchener closed recently. And I think the one in St. Catharines has or is about to close too.

 

What most people don't know is that the original owner of the biz, also owns the buildings that house the downtown locations.
I'm sure they can make way more money by renting out to someone else.

 

Penn Centre? Yeah, it's gone.

 

I'm sad to see these locations close, but I'm hoping this will drive some additional traffic into the remaining stores in the city. Vinyl purchasers will still have a fair number of options, but those who favour CDs are the ones who will feel this the most. Although Sunrise's CD selection was hit or miss, Rotate This has done away with CDs entirely and Sonic Boom doesn't seem to stock as many new ones as they used to. Other than Soundscapes and HMV, what else is really left for new CDs?

 

Well said. I'll only add this little seedy chapter in their business history.

http://www.ilikegoodmusic.com/record-store-day-2014/

 

The interesting thing here is that the owners of the chain sold it and the new owners couldn't agree lease terms with the buildings owners who were the previous owners of that chain. Not surprised as the market rent is not going to be cheap.

But it does explain how Sunrise probably survived at those locations; they owned the property.

 

They tried to secure the same locations but they couldn't agree terms with the owners of those buildings, which I have been led to believe were actually the owners previous owners of Sunrise that sold it.

It's mentioned here: http://www.blogto.com/music/2014/09/sunrise_records_closing_its_downtown_toronto_stores/

 

The store in London had a 40% sale off regular priced music products that ended last weekend followed by a 50% sale off DVD and Blu-ray discs [still on]. Wonder if it's on the chopping block, as well.

 

That definitely doesn't sound very encouraging. The St. Catharines location had a similar 40% off sale that started a month before it closed.

 

Anyone know if the location in the Burlington Mall is still open?

 

It looks like it's still open, if the Store Locator on Sunrise's website is up to date.

 

The downtown London store is closing as well as that's another location that is owned by the original Sunrise owner.

 

So basically these guys bought the franchise and now have to close stores. I can't see this ending well for the new owners!

 

The three locations that are closing are all on property owned by the original owner. Seems the deal did not included those locations.

The new owner (I believe) is the head buyer for the chain with investors behind him who bought out the original owner.

 

I forgot about that little store downtown. There's a second location in London at White Oaks Mall in south London.

 

There were three locations in London for a long time.
The store in Masonville Mall closed a year ago (I think).

Soon only White Oaks will remain.

 

When they were planning their 'going out of business sale', and before the actual sale began, the Masonville Mall outlet packed up all their LPs and shipped them back to the company warehouse.

IIRC, I managed to pick up a deluxe CD set of ELP's debut album for a very good price, though.

 

They'd rather sell them at full price at another location than give them away at the store that is closing.