Looks like HMV in the UK may survive after all...

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by Sound of the Suburbs, Feb 3, 2019.

  1. carlwm

    carlwm Forum Resident

    Location:
    wales
    The Swansea one is pretty good. Combine that with Derrick's Records' quirky selection & we're pretty well served.
     
  2. DML71

    DML71 Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    RobNeil, Man at C&A, carlwm and 5 others like this.
  3. Classicrock

    Classicrock Senior Member

    Location:
    South West, UK.
    Which begs the question about closing the Bristol store especially as it's close to the university. Rise was also close by until bought by Rough Trade with a subsequent move to the city centre. So basically two record shops in city centre incl HMV were parking is very expensive. The irony of the vinyl revival is less and less record shops (Rough trade also closed Worcester Rise) which just plays into the hands of Amazon.
     
  4. Jim B.

    Jim B. Senior Member

    Location:
    UK
    It's sad that the huge student population around Park Street isn't enough to support a record shop. Rise went from two floors to one with the coffee shop downstairs and it still closed.

    I do think the Fopp was profitable although the new owner probably saw the rent being charged and thought it was too much to pay, which is a great shame.
     
  5. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    I was watching Luther the other day and the HMV store front was on there. That was pretty cool and I instantly thought of this thread lol
     
    carlwm likes this.
  6. RobNeil

    RobNeil Forum Resident

    Location:
    Midlands, UK
    Delighted about Meadowhall reopening. Hope that other local to me stores like Mansfield, Lincoln, Doncaster etc survive...
     
    carlwm likes this.
  7. shanebrown

    shanebrown Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norfolk, UK
    The shops that have closed have all been due to rent. The new owner has said that he is willing to run some stores at a small loss. Clearly the Fopp in question wasn't profitable with city centre rates.
     
  8. sacdfan

    sacdfan Forum Resident

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    Sadly I've seen no sign of the re-opening of my localTunbridge Wells store.
     
  9. Marky D

    Marky D Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tunbridge Wells
  10. detroit muscle

    detroit muscle MIA

    Location:
    UK
    I tried to phone HMV in Edinburgh with a stock enquiry. No answer, so sale to an independent through Discogs.
     
  11. shanebrown

    shanebrown Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norfolk, UK
    My local store were saying they were getting frustrated with not having stock in to fill the emptyish shelves up. It seems discussions with some suppliers are still going on.
     
  12. jamo spingal

    jamo spingal Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    [​IMG]
    It's not just Fopp/HMV, there's a groundswell of love and support showing for independents too, like Groucho's in Dundee.
     
    nedwho, Sci-Flyer, Dave and 3 others like this.
  13. hamicle

    hamicle Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dundee, Scotland
    Definite good news, I can be spotted in there most weekends.
     
    Sci-Flyer and jamo spingal like this.
  14. sacdfan

    sacdfan Forum Resident

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    DML71 likes this.
  15. DML71

    DML71 Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    If they reopen the Watford one I promise to do the same.
     
  16. sacdfan

    sacdfan Forum Resident

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    Does anyone know if and when HMV's online sales will be restored?
     
  17. shanebrown

    shanebrown Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norfolk, UK
    According to interviews with the new owner it is being revamped and then restored. But there is still clearly a problem with the stocks at the moment - although I noticed blu rays are nearly back to normal in my local store.
     
  18. jamo spingal

    jamo spingal Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    The Edinburgh Fopp downstairs has been revamped with vinyl now hitting you at the door. The vinyl stock seemed beefed up also. Upstairs the Jazz CD section which had been depleted looked fuller too.
     
    Sound of the Suburbs likes this.
  19. jimod99

    jimod99 Daddy or chips?

    Location:
    Ottawa, ON
    Sunrise in Canada have been “revamping” their online sales presence for the best part of 2 years with little progress, so I wouldn’t bet on anything happening soon.
     
    eddiel likes this.
  20. shanebrown

    shanebrown Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norfolk, UK
    It's good to see that the classical section in my local store has been restocked somewhat over the weekend, although it appears that some suppliers are still not on board.
     
    Sound of the Suburbs likes this.
  21. sacdfan

    sacdfan Forum Resident

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    Went into HMV Tunbridge Wells on Friday. The selection of c/d's has been reduced. None of the three I wanted to buy were available there and I couldn't even order them. It seems that they still have problems with some of their distributors.
     
  22. Pop_Zeus

    Pop_Zeus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southport, UK
    I was in HMV York a couple of weeks ago for the first time in years and was very saddened to see a large ‘STORE CLOSING’ sign above the counter. If they can’t make a go of it in such a great city, it really is a crying shame. I worked in York for 2 years and was often in there buying CDs on my lunch break
     
  23. Etienne Hanratty

    Etienne Hanratty Forum Resident

    Location:
    uk
    I was in Truro this week on holiday, and found the vinyl section in the HMV to be surprisingly well-stocked. I then ventured into the city’s independent shop (I won’t give the name, for fear of being accused of plugging it, but there’s only one of them if you’re interested in looking) and found an extraordinary range of well-priced LPs. It had to be the best provincial vinyl stockist outside of Leeds (it pains me to say as an adopted Manc) so perhaps there’s something to be said for competition.
     
  24. shanebrown

    shanebrown Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norfolk, UK
    It is far less to do with "making a go" of it in a large city, and far more to do with landlords who would rather have a shop stand empty than reduce rent to keep it occupied.
    HMV seem to be in a vicious circle, too. People assume, and frequently have posted on social media, that HMV is still the same pricey retailer that it was eight or nine years ago, and that is far from the case. In most instances, with the exception of chart material that is also sold in supermarkets, they are cheaper than most other retailers - especially for back-catalogue CDs and blu rays and DVDs. They're also the same price as Amazon for things like the Criterion collection, Eureka blu rays, and so on. BUT they don't have the resources to take out advertising to this effect. I literally live next door to HMV and am in there often, and nine times out of ten what I buy is cheaper or as cheap as Amazon.

    There are certainly issues with getting stock back in after the scare at the beginning of the year, but it is getting there. The blu ray shelves are now fully stocked again (at least in number), and the CD shelves of the jazz section are pretty much back to capacity, too, along with a number of discs I haven't seen there before. The classical section is still a mess, and it's quite obvious that NAXOS are seemingly not working with HMV anymore, as the shelves dedicated to the label are literally bare. The pop and rock section also seems to be filling up, although I don't frequent that area much, and certainly the vinyl section is quite substantial and full to the brim - although I refuse to buy new vinyl for £20 when I get an old copy of something on vinyl for half that price. DVD shelves also seem full - but my guess is that those racks will diminish in size considering how few people are not buying DVDs. Even I would rather stream something than have to buy it DVD instead of blu ray.

    But they must be getting worried about how long it is taking to get things back to normal and how much of a further effect it will have on their financial state.

    As a side note, they have a rather nice selection of paperbacks now at a very cheap price - gollancz science fiction series are two for a fiver, for example, but £4-8 each on Amazon.
     
  25. shanebrown

    shanebrown Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norfolk, UK
    Most HMV stores are now having dedicated spaces given to "collector's editions," pulling together some of the BFI, 88 film, Arrow, Criterion, Indicator, Premium Collection and Studio Canal into one place. It seems to be a move intended to lure in those who are the core buyers of physical media these days - film and music buffs willing to pay a bit more for a film or album in order to get a better edition. Quite why Eureka isn't included is up for debate. There's a rumour that there's still a supply issue with them, and yet my store has the latest releases. Perhaps it's an oversight at head office. From what I can gather the lead for the new section comes from the success of it in Fopp stores, and that the sections may expand if successful.

    As can be seen from the picture, Arrow blu rays are 2 for £25 at the moment. Today I picked up The Possessed and Jamaica Inn. Those two would have cost me £32 on Amazon rather than the £25 paid in HMV. That doesn't mean that every single title is going to be cheaper if bought separately, but I think every combo of Arrow, for example, works out cheaper than the same combo on Amazon, if only by £1 - but maybe up to £8 or £9.

    [​IMG]
     

Share This Page

molar-endocrine