Andy Gray started selling second-hand jukebox 45s and old 78 rpm records on Felixstowe pier in 1969 and within five years had acquired a stall on Cambridge market.
The chain's expansion was slow and steady, and by the early 1980s the company had 12 stores across the east of England with two shops in Cambridge and others in Bury St Edmunds, King's Lynn, Peterborough, Haverhill, Colchester, Bedford, Lowestoft, Norwich and Ipswich.
By this time, Andy's Records had stopped selling cheap imports and started to compete with HMV and Virgin Megastores as a premium music retailer.
When major competitors, such as HMV or Virgin, were present, their campaigns were better than Andy's, and recent chart albums were available at much lower prices, due to their bulk buying power.
Following a disappointing Christmas in 2002, Gray decided to go back to his roots and started to sell imports at cut-throat prices.
[1][2] The directors realised that they would be unable to meet the next quarter's rental payments and called in the administrators RSM Robson Rhodes in conjunction with Barclays Bank.
In July 2003, southern England-based music retailer Powerplay bought four stores (Lowestoft, Bedford, Hull and Loughborough) from the administrators.
After some immediate closures due to unprofitability, the chain was whittled down to 10 and started to sell all of its stock at discounted prices.
The initials 'BGO' are shared with 'The Beat Goes On', the name of Andy's former second-hand, rare and deleted specialist shop in Cambridge.