The HMV Thread

Re: HMV finally going under?

Arbalest said:
Yeah i read this earlier. So they are on the move of going to administration. Looks like my move to go into town on wednesday may not be badly placed. We'll see where things go tomorrow.
Click to expand...


it will be if you plan to spend gift cards
 
Re: HMV finally going under?

Remember guys, administration does not automatically mean they are closing down, it merely means they have insolvency issues and are calling in the administrators, who may get someone else to buy the company.

Lets be honest though, they probably WILL be closing down. :/
 
Re: HMV finally going under?

They might do what GAME did and just close half of them or something. No idea. I don't use HMV much but it's a bit rubbish since there's not really another alternative for people who like looking around real shops rather than online. Not for new stuff anyway.
 
Re: HMV finally going under?

If you want a picture of the future, imagine a high street with nothing but clothes shops and Starbucks... even they will end up online eventually, no doubt - Buy your own branded overpriced coffee machine and order the stupidly wasteful single cup inserts from Amazon.

I enjoyed the experience of retail shopping for things like music, video and books. I like the sounds and sights of a bustling town. With HMV gone there's one less reason to go, leaving Waterstones as pretty much the last remaining retailer I'm interested in visiting who can afford city centre rents and rates. Another simple pleasure of mine gone, like when they retired the slam door trains on the Airedale Line or when milk started being homogenised.

Still, I'm looking forward to the coming property crash when there's no demand for high street retail units any more. When the housing around town centres drops rapidly in value because of all the empty shops, vandalised by an ever expanding underclass who can no longer afford to consume and whose ranks have been ironically swelled by the layoffs from the closing retail businesses. Any day now...
 
Re: HMV finally going under?

Will they do a giant 'Fire Sale' like game did or is it still going to be that 25% Blue Cross sale?

Also:
>Using Reddit Memes
weeklylogo.jpg
 
Re: HMV finally going under?

What it seems to look like at the moment, though i'm just checking for clarification at the moment, is that gift cards and gift vouchers are not being accepted at stores. So if you have any, don't expect to use them. What a pain in the arse. I feel sorry for those that bought us them over the christmas period, as it's a common thing for us to get then, and now it basically means they spent 40 quid for nothing. We've had no time to get in to spend them, and now we may not ever be able to.
 
Re: HMV finally going under?

Arbalest said:
What it seems to look like at the moment, though i'm just checking for clarification at the moment, is that gift cards and gift vouchers are not being accepted at stores. So if you have any, don't expect to use them. What a pain in the arse. I feel sorry for those that bought us them over the christmas period, as it's a common thing for us to get then, and now it basically means they spent 40 quid for nothing. We've had no time to get in to spend them, and now we may not ever be able to.
Click to expand...

they're not being used, chaz tried this morning
 
Re: HMV finally going under?

devilrules666 said:
Glad I used mine on boxing day :oops:
Click to expand...
Yeah, I was actually looking around about a week or so ago, and thought there was some ideal buys with the cards. Should of kept to the "Buy now rather than later" ideal. Sods.
 
Re: HMV finally going under?

Ok, here's the situation. The news broke Monday night around 9pm but in store staff were officially told on Tuesday morning. In the meeting we were told that until further notice, due to the administration, we could not accept any form of gift card, voucher, return, exchange or use our staff discount. Every single person who works in the stores fully understand your frustrations, believe us, but just remember not to take it out on the staff. Making life hard for us is not going to help or change anything. It's out of our hands but we'll try and direct you on what to do as much as we can. For now that's just to keep hold of your vouchers until some news breaks on how they are deciding to move forward. Remember, administration doesn't necessarily mean that we'll be shutting shop all over the country so there's always a chance there will be a buyer but right now we know as much as you do and that's a scary situation to be in when next months rent is coming up.
 
Re: HMV finally going under?

HMV have now shut down their website. This adds confusion for pre-orders, as I don't want to buy from Amazon (or wherever) and then a week later find the HMV site is back up and my original pre-order has been sent out and I end up with two copies. Assuming HMV survives that is...
Best wishes to all HMV employees.
 
Re: HMV finally going under?

You guys might want to add Blockbuster to that list.

Blockbuster calls in administrators

Blockbuster, the DVD and video rental company, has called in administrators in the latest blow to Britain’s beleaguered high streets.

More than 4,000 jobs are at risk at Blockbuster, which has 528 shops in the UK and is headquartered in Uxbridge.

Lee Manning, joint administrator for Deloitte, said: “In recent years Blockbuster has faced increased competition from internet based providers along with the shift to digital streaming of movies and games."

The administration comes just a day after HMV, the entertainment retailer, failed and a week after camera chain Jessops collapsed.

Camera retailer Jessops also fell into administration last week, meaning that thousands of jobs and hundreds of stores are at risk across the UK in the retail industry.

Deloitte, which is also the administrator to HMV, said that gift cards will be honoured at Blockbuster. Gift vouchers at HMV have been rejected since the company called in administrators, causing uproar among consumers.

Mr Manning said that "the core" of Blockbuster is still profitable and the company will "continue to trade as normal in both retail and rental whilst we seek a buyer for all or parts of the business as a going concern".

He added: “We are working closely with suppliers and employees to ensure the business has the best possible platform to secure a sale, preserve jobs and generate as much value as possible for all creditors."

Blockbuster, which opened its first store in Walworth Road, London, in 1989, has been under pressure from online rivals such as LoveFilm, and Netflix. Blockbuster launched its own online DVD rental service in 2002.

Blockbuster went bankrupt in the US in 2011, but was rescued by US pay-TV provider Dish Network in a $320m (£200m) deal. The UK arm is also owned by Dish Network but run as a separate company.

Jon Copestake, retail analyst at The Economist Intelligence Unit, said: “A theme is beginning to emerge on the high street as sellers of obsolete products using outmoded channels and inflexible business model see their creditors waiting until after Christmas to call in debts. The administration of Jessops last week has opened a floodgate of administrations on the UK high street and Blockbuster is just the latest 'zombie' company to bite the dust.

“The biggest surprise for Blockbuster is how long the video rental chain has managed to survive, especially since the US parent company filed for administration in 2010. The failures of these once-mighty retail institutions have a common theme. Jessops, Blockbuster and HMV have all been undermined by online channels and primarily sell products coming to the end of their lifecycle. It seems that creditors have been waiting for the key Christmas trading period to end before cutting their losses and seeing what they can salvage.”
Click to expand...
 
Re: HMV finally going under?

Ryo Chan said:
Argos results are out tomorrow so i may be joining u on the dole band wagon :(
Click to expand...

Argos won't close down. Where else will chavs get their imitation gold jewellery?
 
Re: HMV finally going under?

I thought that it had been on plan for a while for Argos to move to being an online only operation?

If HMV had gone online stronger and earlier all this might've been avoided for them :(
 
Re: HMV finally going under?

I know this is bad of me to say, but I only ever really find HMV good for browsing.
I think of them as the Film/TV equivalent of Game, as a lot of the time they charge a lot more than other high street/online retailers.
Rarely do I tend to find HMV the lowest/equivalent to others in terms of pricing.

In recent times, the only things I have bought from them are the Eden of the East BD collection because it was only £10, and Whisper of the Heart BD, which even then I had to go to two different stores for, because the security tag in the copy at the Oxford Street store got stuck. The copy in the second store was also marked up £3 more, but the guy at the till reduced it, something which I also tend to notice between stores.

I think that there is still space on the high street for a retailer like HMV, but they are going to need to make some changes, and become a bit more competitive with their pricing.
 
Back
Top