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HMV about to enter adminastration!
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copius-freakus2
221 posts

Edited Jan 14, 2013, 21:11
HMV about to enter adminastration!
Jan 14, 2013, 21:10
According to breaking news tomnight THe HMV chain is about to enter adminstration, possibly as early as tomorrow, putting 4000 jobs at risk according to news reports tonight.
Moon Cat
9577 posts

Re: HMV about to enter adminastration!
Jan 14, 2013, 21:14
Sadly, not surprised, especially following Jessops too. Clinton cards to follow? The High Street will be empty soon!

HMV and the above have played their get out of Jail cards a lot over the last few years. I thought the writing was on the wall when HMV started doing the 2nd hand/swap thing that Fopp (a subsidiary of) have been doing of late.

I know it's unlikely but I hope Fopp somehow survives.
Popel Vooje
5373 posts

Edited Jan 14, 2013, 21:37
Re: HMV about to enter adminastration!
Jan 14, 2013, 21:21
Sad, but not surprising. I thought they were going to go belly up when they merged with Curzon cinemas. Feel a slight tinge of guilt (much the same as I did when Borders went under) as I've been ordering most of my CDs and DVDs online for the last few years, so haven't done much to help. Note to self - must use retail sector more. Another note to self - must lock stable door before horse bolts next time.
Moon Cat
9577 posts

Edited Jan 14, 2013, 21:28
Re: HMV about to enter adminastration!
Jan 14, 2013, 21:28
It is a real shame, not only for the job losses, but with the stuff like sponsoring live venues and so on.

I do recall overhearing an HMV employee saying how he felt it was like working at Woolworths instead of a music store now, such was the range of products HMV felt compelled to diversify in to compete.

In their day, as a high street music retailer, they were pretty good I thought. A good range and decent prices.

There were three in Manchester City centre until not so long ago. Now there's one. Well, now there's probably none 8^(
Stevo
Stevo
6664 posts

Re: HMV about to enter adminastration!
Jan 14, 2013, 21:34
THey've had a seemingly all inclusive 25% off sale for the last few days. I wish I'd popped in when I was in town today since it might have been the last chance.

Somebody on another list was talking about the disappearance of the record shop, like the student population of the town that he was talking about , not sure exactly which was now completely without a physical record shop when it had had a row or something. Probably going to be true of several places, at least in terms of several in a town giving way to none.

HMV here had started allowing people to trade in 2nd hand stuff for new, not sure how well that would have gone over time. Could have been good, seemed to be several racks of 2nd hand dvd & cd stuff.

I'll miss the shop if its gone and it did have some good staff who did generally seem to be into music. Well hope this aint the end.

Stevo
anthonyqkiernan
anthonyqkiernan
7087 posts

Edited Jan 14, 2013, 21:48
Re: HMV about to enter adminastration!
Jan 14, 2013, 21:44
Can't help thinking every move they made to keep up with changes in the market were the wrong ones. Again and again. Leaving them completely lost. Enough people kept telling them. It's like Blair and the dodgy dossier - how many people need tell you something before you take the 5 minutes to double check? [JRonson inspired psychopath bit excised]

Even when I bought a lot of physical product, HMV wasn't high on my list of shops to visit. In fact, I probably spent more time and money in Woolies (down to there being one in my home town)

I did call into the one in Glasgow just before xmas. Where, I picked up a copy of an OOP movie on DVD as a present for my mother. But, gone are he days when you used to visit these places because they got everything. I reckon they'd rather have shifted that years ago in the sale.

Fopp saddens me, but it's purely sentimental. It came from the little market stall in the Sauchiehall Centre where I used to buy everything. It's long been unrecognisable.

The high streets should be glad I can't download beer.
Moon Cat
9577 posts

Edited Jan 14, 2013, 23:04
Re: HMV about to enter adminastration!
Jan 14, 2013, 22:54
The main HMV in Manchester was pretty good in its hey day. It was usually cheaper than other high street retailers - Virgin being the one down the road in this case - and it had a wide range of stuff in its specialist sections.

It was certainly a major haunt of mine in times past though they did definitely lose their way.

I'll be gutted if/when the Fopp in town goes as a knock on effect of the HMV situation, especially as it's survived one round of closures already. As well as being good for prices and range with albums, books and DVD's - some of those previously unobtainable/unaffordable Cope/Unsung recommended albums suddenly available and affordable -the staff are nice folk and seem to be into their music. And it's a nice little place to potter round.

Ordering stuff online or downloading is fine, and obviously kinder on the pocket for the most part. But it doesn't yet quite feel to me as satisfying as a hunt, rummage and sniff about for stuff, especially with the occasional serendipitous delights that may result if fortune smiles on the day.
keith a
9565 posts

Re: HMV about to enter adminastration!
Jan 14, 2013, 23:27
Moon Cat wrote:




In their day, as a high street music retailer, they were pretty good I thought. A good range and decent prices.




I thought they used to be really pricey back in the day. I'll be sorry to see them go though, and like you I will miss Fopp though I only get there on my occasional visits to Manchester. But I guess I'm another that's part of the problem in that I don't buy that much from the local HMV these days, though I still buy stuff from them via mail order.

But when I read things like ?"The bottom line is that there is no real future for physical retail in the music sector" I feel both sad and a bit of dinosaur.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21021073
Moon Cat
9577 posts

Re: HMV about to enter adminastration!
Jan 14, 2013, 23:49
The general stuff in the racks could be pricey true, but when they did offers or similar, especially with some of the speciality stuff, you could get some pretty good deals (we are talking in times past).

Oh well, guess we'll have to see how it pans out.
FOMouse
FOMouse
228 posts

Re: HMV about to enter adminastration!
Jan 14, 2013, 23:51
anthonyqkiernan wrote:


The high streets should be glad I can't download beer.


How much will you pay for the secret?

fnff.
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