HMV is back! Music firm reopens flagship Oxford Street store after four-year absence where at one point it became an American candy store
- HMV shut the store in 2019 after the retail chain tumbled into administration
HMV is back at its historic Oxford Street store after a four-year absence with the retailer’s boss saying it is a ‘great moment’ for the chain’s recovery.
The entertainment shop will host a raft of bands with live performances on Friday, when it welcomes customers to the shop it first opened in 1921.
HMV shut the store in 2019 after the retail chain tumbled into administration and was forced to axe stores and jobs.
The site, at 363 Oxford Street, had been operating as an American sweet shop following its closure.
However, in April HMV confirmed it had sealed a deal with the landlord to return to the site.
Owner Doug Putman said he hopes the shop can have ‘crowds which will shut down the street’ again, harking back to memorable visits including Michael Jackson, the Spice Girls and Sir Paul McCartney.
The site on Oxford Street went on to become an American sweet shop
The company began back in 1921 and held its iconic site on Oxford street for nearly 100 years
Inside the new HMV store, which has returned to Oxford Street in London following a four-year absence
The entertainment chain is hosting a raft of bands with live performances as it welcomes customers back today
The retailer was rescued from insolvency by Canadian Doug Putman’s Sunrise Records business.
The entrepreneur, who recently attempted to buy fellow high street chain Wilko from collapse, told the PA news agency the chain has returned after striking a better deal with the shop’s landlord.
‘It is a pretty great moment for us, coming back here after four years away,’ he said.
‘When we bought the business, we couldn’t keep the site because the rates bill and rent just didn’t make any financial sense.
‘Getting another location in London was an immediate priority and as it became more obvious that the rent and rate situation here had improved and the landlord was open to discussions, we just felt it would be the right move to come back to somewhere with such history to us.’
The store will feature the company’s new logo and store layout, which it has been rolling out since 2021.
The store first opened to the public back in 1921
The store closed in 2019 after the company tumbled into administration before a rescue takeover was launched by Canadian Doug Putman’s Sunrise Records
The company’s successful reopening of its once-flagship store follows a significant turnaround in trading since it was taken over by Mr Putman in 2019
Mr Putman said he was ‘positive’ about the future of the London shopping destination, which has seen the local council clamp down on the sale of some illegal and counterfeit goods from sweet and souvenir shops.
‘We think our return shows the positive direction things are going in here,’ he said.
‘It is all about balance. There is no problem having the odd candy store here but people don’t need tens of them, but also want to see an HMV or a Waterstones.’
HMV said the shop will become the largest entertainment store in London and is expected to draw appearances and signings by renowned musicians to its ‘purpose-built performance floor’.
1921 – The opening ceremony at HMV Oxford Street was led by composer Sir Edward Elgar, which is thought to be the first ever in-store personal appearance by a recording artist
1950s – Shoppers look at classical music vinyl records at HMV Oxford Street
It will stock more than 4,000 popular culture merchandise lines, some 20,000 vinyl albums and CDs, in excess of 8,000 4kUHD, Blu-rays and DVDs, as well as music technology products.
The opening follows a significant turnaround in trading at the retailer under Mr Putman’s ownership, which has seen it return to profitability amid increased focus on vinyl, live gigs and merchandise.
HMV currently has 120 shops across the UK, including a West London location in Westfield in White City, the specialist Fopp store in Covent Garden, and the 25,000 sq ft Vault in Birmingham – which is Europe’s largest entertainment store.
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