A&B Sound

A&B Sound

Company type	Private
Industry	Retail (audio and electronics)
Founded	1959
Founder	Fred Steiner
Defunct	2008
Fate	Bankruptcy
Headquarters	Richmond, British Columbia , Canada
Area served	Western Canada (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba)
Key people	Fred Steiner (founder), Nick Steiner (president), Tim Howley (president and CEO)
Products	Audio equipment, electronics, music sales (records, cassettes, CDs)

A&B Sound was a Canadian company specializing in audio and electronics retail.

History

Established in 1959 by Fred Steiner, A&B Sound launched its initial store at 571 Granville Street before moving to 556 Seymour Street in 1970. The business originally concentrated on televisions, stereos, and radios, later expanding its offerings to include music sales within the same year.

Growth Across British Columbia

The second outlet debuted in 1977 in Victoria, British Columbia, situated in a historic building now hosting multiple enterprises and the University of Victoria's Law Centre. In 1980, the Vancouver location grew to occupy three floors, followed by a new store opening on Hastings Street near Burnaby in 1981. A fourth Vancouver branch was established in 1984 along South West Marine Drive.

Fred Steiner retired in 1987, passing leadership to his son Nick as president. Additional stores launched subsequently in Surrey (1987), Burnaby’s Metrotown (1988), and Nanaimo (1990). After Fred Steiner’s passing in 1991, the East Hastings store relocated to a larger venue close to the PNE Playland. The chain’s eighth store opened in Kelowna in 1992.

Expansion into Western Canada

In 1993, A&B Sound expanded into the Alberta market with outlets in Calgary and Edmonton, adding a south Edmonton location in 1994, a second Calgary store in 1995, followed by openings in Lethbridge (1996), and both Red Deer and a third Calgary branch by fall 1998. An additional store started operations in Abbotsford, British Columbia during 1995. Further growth included new locations in Regina and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (1999), as well as Winnipeg, Manitoba (2000). In 2001, Nick Steiner stepped down as president but retained his role as chairman; Tim Howley assumed the positions of president and CEO. Some stores incorporated bookstore sections; however, most of these were phased out by the early 2000s.

Influence on Vancouver’s Record and Music Retail Sector

A&B Sound earned a strong reputation throughout Western Canada for providing the most competitive prices and widest selection of records, cassettes, and later CDs. The chain frequently offered lower prices than rivals such as A&A Records and Tapes and Toronto-based Sam the Record Man, which struggled to establish itself in Vancouver. Sam the Record Man operated adjacent to A&B Sound’s Seymour Street location until its closure at the end of 2000. A 1993 article from The Georgia Straight highlighted that A&B Sound’s pricing resulted in Vancouver having Canada’s lowest record prices, contributing to other chains either failing or hesitating to enter the market—including Tower Records. When HMV launched its Vancouver presence in 1993, its president acknowledged A&B Sound as a significant competitor.

Bankruptcy and Change of Ownership

During the 1990s and early 2000s, A&B faced increasing competition from Vancouver-based Future Shop, which employed aggressive pricing strategies similar to those used for consumer electronics. Other major retailers such as Wal-Mart and Best Buy—which acquired Future Shop in the early 2000s—also entered this market segment. By early 2005, burdened with C$57 million in debt, A&B Sound sought protection under Canadian bankruptcy legislation. Creditors rejected a proposed acquisition by American firm Sun Capital Partners Group Inc., leading to Canadian computer manufacturer Seanix Technology Inc., led by Paul Girard, acquiring the company. Seanix announced intentions to close or relocate underperforming stores while concentrating efforts on markets within BC and Alberta.

Between 2005 and 2007, several store closures and workforce reductions took place: both locations in Winnipeg closed (2005), followed by the Hastings Street outlet shuttering in January 2006; stores in Red Deer, Regina, and Saskatoon closed by August 2006. The flagship Downtown Calgary store ceased operations in February 2005, though northeast and deep south Calgary branches continued. New stores opened in North Vancouver and Pitt Meadows, while relocations occurred in Kelowna, south Calgary, and Surrey. The Downtown Edmonton location closed its doors in March 2007 amid plans for a new Edmonton site; around this time, the Burnaby branch also closed. A new store opened in Langford on December 15, 2007; meanwhile, the relocated Delta outlet closed on January 4, 2008. Plans for launching a Chilliwack store near Future Shop were abandoned by mid-2008.

Store shutdowns and second insolvency

The iconic Victoria store ceased operations on April 3, 2008. Shortly after, on April 8, a potential merger with Audiotronic was announced, but no subsequent developments materialized.

In July 2008, the Nanaimo and previously profitable Calgary North outlets were abruptly closed, marking the complete exit of A&B from Calgary following the earlier closure of the south location. Employees were not given advance warning of these shutdowns.

Over the ensuing months, additional locations closed in rapid succession:

• August 12, 2008 – Vancouver’s Seymour and Marine Drive stores ceased operations.
• August 29, 2008 – Langley, British Columbia.
• September 18, 2008 – Pitt Meadows.
• October 23, 2008 – South Edmonton and Abbotsford (the latter briefly reopened to facilitate liquidation).
• November 7, 2008 – The last remaining store in North Vancouver closed its doors.

During the summer of 2008, retail experts anticipated A&B’s downfall; David Ian Gray commented that the brand had lost its significance and questioned any prospects of recovery. Despite A&B’s stated plans to reorganize in line with contemporary market demands, it terminated its Wells Fargo-issued A&B credit card by October 15, 2008 without introducing an alternative.

On November 7, 2008, A&B Sound formally filed for bankruptcy, joining the ranks of other defunct Canadian music retailers such as A&A Records and Sam the Record Man. Remaining stock was held until June 2011, when Able Auctions in Vancouver conducted a liquidation sale on June 25.