Sweetwater Announces Another Stellar Year of Sales Growth and Campus Expansion

Fort Wayne, IN, January 7, 2016 — Sweetwater, the No. 1 online retailer of music instruments and pro audio gear in the U.S., and the fastest-growing company with a national profile in the music retail industry, announces another record year in total sales and job creation, plus additional expansion of its campus in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Total sales in 2015 were $433.1 million, up 22.3% over $354 million in 2014, which was also a record-breaking year. December 2015 sales were just over $50 million, up 21% over December 2014. Black Friday and Cyber Monday both shattered all previous records.

The company sold more than 80,000 guitars in 2015. Pro Audio, Microphones, Keyboards, Guitar Amps & Effects, and Drums were some of the many product categories that saw very significant growth.

Sweetwater founder and president Chuck Surack said, "I started Sweetwater 37 years ago with a commitment to helping my friends pursue their dreams. I'm incredibly proud that last year our amazing employees helped over 265,000 brand-new, first-time customers purchase the gear to help them live out their musical passions. It's gratifying to see how our commitment to doing the right thing and always taking care of every customer continues to help us make thousands of new friends every day."

In all, Sweetwater employees, primarily the sales force, handled more than 3.5 million phone calls.
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Employment growth is ongoing at Sweetwater as the company aggressively continues to hire the best-qualified people in the business. On January 1 of 2015, Sweetwater boasted 781 employees. As of January 1 of 2016, the number had increased by 21% to 946 employees, and is steadily growing.

In June, Sweetwater completed a total redesign and expansion of its Music Store in Fort Wayne, IN. Now four times the original size and one of the largest in the Midwest, the Sweetwater Music store is backed by the largest on-site inventory of musical instruments and audio gear of any music store in the country.

Sweetwater's campus will continue to grow in 2016, with the completion in February of a 16,000 square foot building to house the marketing and merchandising staffs, as well as a new state-of-the-art video studio. Further expansion of employee amenity areas, including the health club and salon and spa, will also be completed in 2016.

A comprehensive "virtual tour" of the Sweetwater campus is available at: http://www.sweetwater.com/tour/

Captions:

Photo 1: Sweetwater Founder and President Chuck Surack on the Crescendo Café stage at the Sweetwater campus.

Photo 2: The entrance to the Sweetwater campus.

Photo 3: The entrance to the renovated and expanded Sweetwater Music Store.

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About Sweetwater Sound
Founded in 1979, Sweetwater is the nation's leading retailer in instruments and pro audio equipment for musicians, recording studios, broadcast, education, and houses of worship. Sweetwater's customers can be found everywhere music is heard and audio is played, broadcast, or recorded, including recording, film, and broadcast studios in New York, Nashville, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami; in hundreds of thousands of home recording studios; and in schools and churches nationwide. Sweetwater's founding and meteoric growth are built on a knowledgeable and experienced staff, outstanding selection and pricing, and above all, an unwavering commitment to customer service excellence in every situation. For further information, visit Sweetwater.com.

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Attachments:

https://media.sweetwater.com/m/about/press-releases/images/Photo1ChuckSurack.jpg?ha=b5aa224c2a73e4d6

https://media.sweetwater.com/m/about/press-releases/images/Photo2CampusEntrance.jpg?ha=f1a266f020f2a9ec

https://media.sweetwater.com/m/about/press-releases/images/Photo3MusicStoreEntrance.jpg?ha=ebbad6f629e1a8b7