Brashs

Brashs was founded in 1862 by Marcus Brasch. The C in the name was dropped during the first world war due to anti-Germanic feeling. The first store in Elizabeth Street, Melbourne specialised in pianos and reed organs and remained the company's flag-ship store until the group's demise. For the latter half of the 19th century and all through the 20th, Brashs remained a leading Music House although Victorian wide expansion didn't begin until the mid 1950s and interstate 30 years later, through a combination of acquisitions and new store openings. This resulted in over 100 stores in all states and territories.

Brashs first opened in 1862 at 108 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne by Marcus Brash. Originally it retailed pianos and other musical instruments, with the slogan, "a home is not a home without a piano". Later it would expand their product line to include sheet music.

The business was later taken over by Marcus son, Alfred Brash. Alfred traded the business through the Great Depression, with an astute idea allowing his customers to repay the debts owed on the pianos over a longer period (20 years rather than 5), as it realised that the pianos would be kept in a better condition in the customers' homes than repossessed in his warehouse. Post World War II, Brash boomed, as it sold refrigerators and took trade-ins on old ice chests. The traded in ice-chests were then on-sold in sales in South Melbourne, then a poor community.

Geoff Brash later took over from his father. By the 1970s, Brashs expanded further, adding vinyl records, pre-recorded and blank cassettes to their line. in the mid 1980s, it stopped selling whitegoods. In an effort to streamline operations, Brashs was split into Brashs, a company that sold audio systems, microwaves and compact discs, and Allans, which focused on musical instruments. Geoff Brash stepped down as executive Chairman in 1988 but stayed on as a director. By the 1990s, its product base expanded to selling Hi Fi stereos, video cassette recorders, microwaves and televisions. It also resumed selling white goods.

On 6 December 1986, Brashs opened Australia's first major megastore at 244 Pitt Street, Sydney. This address now forms part of the plaza of the ANZ Bank Centre.

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