After months of uncertainty about its future, Dunedin's Real Groovy music store has closed with the loss of seven jobs.
The end came suddenly on Wednesday morning, manager Morgan Jarvis said.
"We were told about 10am and the doors were shut straight away."
It had been a blow for the seven full-time and part-time staff, he said.
"Most of us have been here a long time and we all love our jobs. Now we are looking for new ones."
Mr Jarvis said staff knew the closure of the Great King St store was an option.
"We've been preparing for the worst but trying to be optimistic."
They were busy yesterday packing up stock to be shipped to Auckland and had been told their jobs would cease when that task was completed, possibly as early as today.
Real Groovy operated stores in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin selling new and used CDs, DVDs and vinyl, as well as publishing two magazines and running an online sales division.
Managing director Chris Hart put the business up for sale in July last year, saying a bad foreign exchange deal had left him in need of capital.
The chain went into receivership two weeks ago.
Receiver John Cregten, of Auckland-based Corporate Finance Ltd, said the store would not reopen and all seven staff were redundant.
It was not clear yesterday whether Dunedin customers with gift vouchers or credit notes would lose out.
A sign on the shop's door said vouchers and credit notes may be able to be tendered in Auckland.
