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

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

  1. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    This is exactly why they need to shift focus. Yes, sales are in significant decline but they can't change that. So, appeal to the many people who do buy records and CDs still. Focus on that, keep the prices competitive and the stock interesting, advertise minimally but in the right places (Uncut, Mojo, NME website etc), keep the core customers happy and interested. They'll be loyal. HMV doesn't seem to know what it wants to be at present. They could also have the best online music site in the UK. But they don't have one at all.

    I want HMV to survive, but it has to adapt and accept that it can't attract interest that just isn't there from a lot of younger people who mostly listen to music in different ways. So stick with catering for people who care about records, CDs, music books and HMV, rather than chasing customers they'll never get long term.

    I've seen very little difference between HMV now and HMV that's been in financial trouble twice.
     
    Pouchkine likes this.
  2. norliss

    norliss Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cardiff, Wales
    I agree to the extent that I've never believed that trying to diversify into selling general merch was a good idea. However to argue that they should not sell video (something they've been doing for decades) is a step too far IMHO.
     
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  3. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    You're right, it's just DVDs really are poor sellers now. But I do agree they should sell films too.
     
  4. Bink

    Bink Forum Resident

    One thing I have noticed recently. A couple of months ago my local HMV had a number of King Crimson cds but now there is nothing. I even went into another HMV in another town and they also didn't have any.
     
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  5. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    Just as Uncut release an Ultimate Music Guide about them. Again, this is inexcusably bad stocking. Almost as if someone's gone "nah, that won't sell, I've never heard of 'em'.

    Unless they're OOP.
     
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  6. Bink

    Bink Forum Resident

    Yeah I have got into them quite a bit recently partly on the back of that Ultimate Music Guide and would have made some impulsive purchases if they had been there!
     
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  7. Eric_Generic

    Eric_Generic Enigma

    Location:
    Berkshire
    I personally don't like the move into more vinyl (in new racking that, as a wheelchair user, I can't access) and the abolition of any instore chart, but...I know HMV don't exist to serve my preferences :shrug:

    What I hope is that they're not making (yet another) mistake by prioritising vinyl at this juncture, and they go bust again.

    Agree with @Man at C&A , all the tat needs to go.

    EG.
     
    Dave S, Man at C&A, Pouchkine and 2 others like this.
  8. wallpaperman

    wallpaperman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edinburgh
    Ach, they probably thought if you’ve heard 3 AC/DC albums, you’ve heard ‘em all. :hide:
     
  9. AlmostHeavenWV

    AlmostHeavenWV The poster formerly known as AlmostHeavenWV

    Location:
    Lancaster UK
    I was in the Lancaster shop myself this week and was pleased to see a K(orean)-pop section. Not for myself, but I've thought for some time that this would make sense because of the large number of Japanese and Chinese students at Lancaster University.

    Or is it at all UK HMV stores, and not just at Lancaster?
     
    Eric_Generic likes this.
  10. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    The could redress the balance at the very least. But I admit, my experiences don't jive with your own. Sure i you went to their huge stores such as those on Oxford Street, they had movies etc. But the smaller ones knew how to do music. Still, perhaps I'm older than you, and remember ye olde days. :D

    For the record, while price checking some music lately, I also checked HMV.com. The number of releases they don't even offer is an embarrassment.
     
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  11. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    Isn't that because a Korean Pop band just made the charts?
     
  12. wallpaperman

    wallpaperman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edinburgh
    If catering to local market, very sensible idea.

    I’m sure I read when the takeover was completed that the new owners were giving the local managers more autonomy on stock selection, and not just giving each shop the same stuff. This could be a good example of this.
     
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  13. AlmostHeavenWV

    AlmostHeavenWV The poster formerly known as AlmostHeavenWV

    Location:
    Lancaster UK
    No idea, but when I passed the display, there was what I took to be a foreign university student checking it out.
     
    wallpaperman likes this.
  14. Eric_Generic

    Eric_Generic Enigma

    Location:
    Berkshire
    Yes, for instance Reading has a very different emphasis and focus to Guildford., I've noticed.
     
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  15. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    A good point!
     
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  16. shanebrown

    shanebrown Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norfolk, UK
    I don't think HMV can be criticised for selling DVDs and blu rays. Quite clearly, they have a significant number of people buying the latter, or they wouldn't have set up their collector's editions sections in most stores (a shame they no longer have a deal with Eureka, though). As for DVDs, my guess is that the DVD section will shrink in size over the next year or so - although I'm always surprised at how many films and TV series are not yet out on blu ray. I was amazed last year that Love, Simon (a hit film from 2018) wasn't released on blu ray in the UK. I'm even more surprised that the TV series Deutschland 83 & 86 aren't out on blu ray either. DVD releases only. I find that odd.

    As for prices, I don't buy new vinyl, but that seems to be overpriced wherever you go. I have no idea why anyone would want to buy new vinyl copies of old albums when they can buy the originals for probably a fraction of the price in many cases. Even so, HMV on Twitter are advertising Funkadelic on vinyl for £16.99 as opposed to the random price of £19.06 on Amazon. Fleetwood Mac's Kiln House is £15.99 in both cases.

    For CDs, DVDs and Blu Rays, I find them to be roughly the same price as Amazon, or cheaper in many cases. There are always going to be occasions when they are more expensive, not least because Amazon changes its prices more often than Donald Trump dyes his hair. But that goes for any shop - nowhere has 100% of its stock lower than another. HMV have had some very good deals lately, though, such as the Arrow range at buy one get one free (which Amazon have not been running), and that included brand new releases, too. Their own range of classic/cult films on blu ray have also been BOGOF (that finished at the weekend), and they also have plenty of two blu rays for £13 at the moment too. Meanwhile, I bought the Arrow release Weird Science on blu ray last week (out a few weeks back) for £14.99 but that's £18.99 on Amazon. Arrow's Sixteen Candles that came out at the same time is £16.99 on Amazon, but cheaper in HMV. The Criterion label releases are the same price as on Amazon in most cases.

    Certainly I agree with another member that the jazz CD section has been extended in recent weeks/months, and the classical section in the store near me has as well. I dont always think they are stocking the sensible things within those sections, but improvements have been made. That said, they are currently stocking the Decca Doubles and Philips Duo classical CDs for £5.99, when they are anything up to £12 on Amazon, and a couple are £18. Likewise, they are doing those cute Original Album Classics/series sets for £9,99 in most cases, which is about 20% cheaper than Amazon.

    I also agree that those ugly plastic things are a waste of space, and I can't believe that they are worth stocking. But I guess someone is buying them. But Rome wasn't built in a day, and HMV is certainly looking better than it did three or four months ago. The points cards are apparently due to restart again some time in the near future, too, from what I can gather. They also clearly have some connections with some book publishers at the moment. There may be some debate over whether HMV should be stocking them (although Fopp always has), but two classic Penguins or Gollancz sci-fi for a fiver is certainly not to be sniffed at.
     
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2019
  17. shanebrown

    shanebrown Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norfolk, UK
    The Norwich shop put out a request on Twitter some time ago asking for local bands to come forward as they were looking for CDs and vinyl by local bands to stock. So, again, there seems to be less done at head office level when it comes to stock.
     
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  18. Eric_Generic

    Eric_Generic Enigma

    Location:
    Berkshire
    Reading's Blu-Ray section is quite spectacular.

    The CDs, less so.

    EG.
     
  19. followmehome

    followmehome Forum Resident

    Location:
    England
    In what way? I've never found them to sell anything different than HMV, since they were taken over.
     
  20. Porkpie

    Porkpie Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    I went to HMV in Bristol yesterday and picked up Sheryl Crow on vinyl for the same price as Amazon (because they’d sold out), a new Beirut reissue (on day of release) for £2.50 less than Amazon and a Linda Ronstadt album for £4 less than Amazon. I was pretty impressed as I went in looking for those 3 albums and they had them all, whereas Amazon had sold out of one and Rough Trade hadn’t received the Beirut album. I also thought it was highly unlikely they’d have the Ronstadt album but they did, and overall a decent combined saving.
     
  21. Dave S

    Dave S Forum Resident

    I have to admit their vinyl section at my local store isn't wheelchair accessible. And also, it probably blocks wheelchair users from actually entering the store.
     
    Eric_Generic likes this.
  22. shanebrown

    shanebrown Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norfolk, UK
    That's not good, but it's worth having a chat with them. They moved things around in my local store at one point when I told them you couldn't get a mobility scooter around some sections.
     
    Eric_Generic likes this.
  23. DML71

    DML71 Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
  24. shanebrown

    shanebrown Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norfolk, UK
    The wonders of working with the general public. I worked in a second-hand record shop when I left school. The owner of the shop was a huge Elvis fan and so there was always a significant amount of Elvis stuff in the shop, both in the racks and some bootlegs under the counter. One guy came in asking me to pull out everything with Return to Sender on it for him. So, I dutifully pulled out the singles and albums with the song on and presented them to him to look through. And then he said, "no, I don't want the song. I just want you to put them to one side so I don't have to look through stuff with a song on it I don't like."
     
  25. jamo spingal

    jamo spingal Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    I was in HMV Aberdeen today, and although the improvements weren’t as clear as Edinburgh’s, it was better. Mostly on the increase in stock levels, but layout was somewhat better.
    Major gripe and this applies to all stores is the stocking of royalty free vinyls from DOL and their ilk.
    Good to see in the jazz section Vital Vinyl versions which are competitive on price with DOL and are proper.
     

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