According to reports by Jan Vermeulen at MyBroadBand, Ellies, the South African electronics company, has closed its doors after a 45-year legacy. The closure followed a series of voluntary retrenchments and the liquidation process, which revealed that there was no reasonable prospect of saving Ellies Holdings. SMD Technologies acquired the Ellies brand and intellectual property, but not its operating divisions, marking a sombre end to the once-thriving company.
Founded by Ellie Salkow in 1979, Ellies began as a modest operation in Johannesburg with just five employees selling television aerials before quickly expanding its footprint, opening branches in major cities across South Africa and even extending into neighbouring countries.

In the 1990s, Ellies diversified its product offerings to include remote controls and various accessories.

The launch of Elsat in 1995, coinciding with the rise of satellite TV in South Africa, turned Ellies into a household name as DSTV swept through the country’s suburbs.

This accelerated growth trajectory saw it listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange’s (JSE) Alternative Exchange in 2007, and it moved to the main board in 2010.

At its peak in 2013, Ellies' share price soared to R9.50, driven by investor excitement over its involvement in the digital terrestrial television (DTT) roll-out in partnership with Altech UEC.

Challenges and decline

However, the company’s fortunes began to wane as the South African government struggled with the DTT migration, and Ellies’ share price plummeted by 80% between 2013 and 2014.

The advent of load-shedding presented an opportunity for Ellies to pivot to alternative energy solutions, leveraging its brand association with electrical accessories. Despite this, the company failed to execute this strategy effectively.

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