FEATURE:
Rewriting the Masterplan
PHOTO CREDIT: Shutterstock
Why the Reopening of HMV Flagship Store on London’s Oxford Street Is Especially Exciting
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THERE is a lot to celebrate…
IN THIS PHOTO: A van outside HMV, Oxford Street in 1963/PHOTO CREDIT: HMV
when it comes to physical music. As has been reported – and I have written about a lot -, the rise in vinyl sales signals a slight move from streaming. People want a tangible form of music that is tactile and not ephemeral. They also want to support artists by buying music – which is something they cannot guarantee. Compact discs are not obsolete: their sales are not terrific, but they are holding steady. Also, cassettes are inexplicably popular! Most people do not possess devices on which to play them. Maybe it is another way to give artists money. They are a lot cheaper than vinyl. It ties into a music institution that I want to revisit now. I am not sure whether they will be selling devices to play cassettes in the future. HMV have their own layout and design. That will be the same across all shops. I think, regarding the boom in physical music, more space need to be dedicated to that – and the devices that allow us to play them on. I am going to continue. Great news broke back in April that HMV’s flagship London store on Oxford Street is reopening:
“HMV is set to make a return to Oxford Street after a four-year absence, with a lease signed to confirm the reopening of its flagship later this year.
HMV currently has 120 shops across the UK, including a West London location in Westfield, the specialist Fopp store in Covent Garden, and the 25,000 sq ft Vault in Birmingham – Europe’s largest entertainment store.
Sunrise Records owner Doug Putman acquired the historic music chain in 2019. Since the closure of the 363 Oxford Street store in the same year, the presence of a flagship in the capital has been on the agenda.
Under Putman’s tenure, the business has evolved its concept to centre on a fan and community-orientated offer, including in-store gigs from local acts. It has successfully tapped into consumer demand for vinyl.
IMAGE CREDIT: HMV
363 Oxford Street will feature HMV’s new logo, and be fitted out with the new ‘HMV shop’ concept. The first store featuring the new layout and offering opened in Solihull on HMV’s 100th birthday in July 2021.
The concept will have been taken to 24 new sites – and retro-fitted to 14 of the existing estate – by the end of the year. By 2024, half of the HMV estate will have been converted to the new concept.
Doug Putman said: “The expansion of our fan-focused pop culture offer is really working for us and the reopening of our flagship represents the culmination of a good few years of hard work. We are also opening stores in Europe this year, so while it is the culmination of one phase of work, more excitingly we see it as the launchpad for an exciting new era for HMV.”
The new 363 Oxford Street store is expected to stock a large range of pop culture merchandise, vinyl, film, TV and music technology.
In the past year, HMV shops in the UK have welcomed artists such as Charli XCX, Stormzy, Shania Twain, Raye and Ellie Goulding for signings. The central London shop is expected to draw big names and is set to stage performances from up-and-coming acts through the HMV Live&Local programme.
363 Oxford Street played host to the very first HMV store in 1921. It became one of the UK’s most famous retail destinations. In 1995, Blur performed a memorable rooftop gig. A year later, the store hosted the Spice Girls’ Christmas Lights switch-on.
It remained there until 2000 when HMV relocated to its 150 Oxford Street store (since closed). HMV later returned to 363 Oxford Street in 2013. Since its closure in 2019, the site has been operated as an American-style candy store.
IN THIS PHOTO: Two happy customers browsing at HMV on Oxford Street in the 1960s (via Voices of East Anglia)
ERA CEO Kim Bayley said: “This announcement is a cause for celebration across the UK music industry. HMV is one of the talismanic names of the UK High Street and a standard-bearer for the UK’s continued love for physical music, video and games product. Owner Doug Putman and UK MD Phil Halliday have done an incredible job in restoring HMV to profitability, and we offer them our sincere congratulations.”
Cllr Geoff Barraclough, Westminster City Council’s cabinet member for planning & economic development, said: “It’s fantastic to see this iconic brand back on Oxford Street, where it stood as a driver of music and pop culture in the capital for so long. It’s also particularly pleasing it is replacing one of the many US candy stores which sprang up during the pandemic.
“The return of this famous name is proof that there’s a buzz back in the West End. Established retailers want a presence on the UK’s premier shopping street and as a council we want to see the nation’s high street reinvigorated and home to brands like HMV.
“There’s nothing quite like browsing through CDs and vinyl in-store. As a teenager who bought his first LP in an HMV shop some decades ago, I look forward to reliving that experience!”
Sam Foyle, co-head of prime global retail at Savills, acting on behalf of the private landlord for 363 Oxford Street, said: “The return of HMV is a major milestone for Oxford Street. It shows the growth in belief and confidence for the street. The previous vacancy and short term candy store tenant, was the focus of the challenges facing Oxford Street. HMV reopening along with many other global transactions in progress, demonstrates that Oxford Street has recovered”.
It is great news that such an important store is coming back to London. High rent prices was one reason why it closed in the first place. Whilst things have not changed much in that respect, you can see how the new demand for physical music has revitalised chains like HMV. I hope that they survive and continue on Oxford Street for many years to come! In the centre of the capital, there are precious few options when you want to buy physical music. There are independent stores, but they can often be crowded and limited. If you want to have that choice, you need to go to somewhere like Rough Trade East in Brick Lane. That is not too far away, though there is this centrality and convenience having a huge store like HMV in a part of London that is going to get a load of foot traffic. Its reopening will also help revitalise the high street stores around it. There will be those coming to Oxford Street just for HMV. It is going to have a benefit for many other business. No official reopening date has been confirmed, although you know there is a lot of work being done right now to ensure that HMV can open its doors before Christmas. That pre-Christmas trade will get them off to a great start! HMV has always been more than music. There are T-shirts, DVDs and books that you can browse and buy. It is a victory for physical music distributors. I also wonder if HMV on Oxford Street will have album signings and in-store gigs. That would be a great way for artists to get promotion and boost their album sales. If the old shop design was pink and black and seemed a bit glaring, there is something cooler and more toned-down - yet classic-looking and hip - about the new layout and design.
IN THIS PHOTO: The exterior of HMV in Wigan
So many people have unique connections to HMV. For me, it was a way of discovering new music and really forging a bond with physical formats. Alongside Our Price, there did use to be that choice on the high street. Woolworths were also a shop that sold music. Now, you struggle to find physical music beyond those dedicated to it. Look around one of the busiest parts of a packed London, and it is really difficult to locate a music shop. HMV coming back with a new look is going to have a positive impact on album sales in general. It will also mean that younger music fans will have somewhere they can find all this incredible stuff. I am not sure how much flexibility there is to change the floor plan in terms of what is stocked, but you can get a sense from the Wigan HMV what will be in store in London. This revival and success of physical music makes me reignite the question as to whether devices will roll out so that we can play cassettes and C.D.s more readily. HMV’s unexpected return to Oxford Street is a great bit of news in a moment where there are so many other business struggling to stay open on the high street. I hope that this revival extends to other parts of the country. It will be exciting seeing that big reopen in London and walking into a store many had thought we’d never see again. The benefits for the music industry cannot be understated. It is a big victory that will help to further boost the rude health of physical music. It will encourage more people to buy physical music because of that accessibility. A large space where they can browse and linger. HMV’s flagship store return to London’s Oxford Street is a brilliant success story from this year. I hope that the company’s success and momentum continues…
IN THIS PHOTO: The chic and stylish at HMV on Oxford Street in the 1960s (via Voices of East Anglia)
INTO 2024.