Hmv In Talks, Who Is Next?

[Eve]

Just seen it flash up on Sky News:

http://news.sky.com/story/1038002/hmv-board-pondering-retailers-future

Sad but not hugely surprising given the increasingly online culture.

How sad for potentially another store close down, they were clearing out Jessops on the main shopping street a couple of day ago.

Shops disappearing all over and big names too.

What is the future for the high street?

[jno]

Waterstones is owned by Russians (the Piccadilly shop has a Russian bookshop inside it). HMV sold it last year for £53 million.

[dotty.]

people coming in to actually look at books in a shop rather than on a screen are the people who are patient enough to wait for a book to arrive when it arrives. it's their choice.

[gness]

Hi Ummmm....if that's for me....yes. No longer use Amazon for anything but would never for books. I love spending time in book shops....don't mind waiting or paying more. Book shops, wool shops and fabric shops and I'm happy.

[ummmm]

I look at books in book shops when I'm in town. I won't go to town just to look at books.

[ummmm]

That was for Dot.

[dotty.]

many people do just that ummmm, strange how people are all different isn't it?

[ummmm]

Not really.

[douglas9401]

Oxfam's apparent policy of funding the digging of a well from the sale of one second hand book may not be the success they hope I fear.

[emmie]

sad, but inevitable

[bazwillrun]

Inevitable

councils do very little to encourage retail and shopping.
high rates, red tape etc etc
Stopping and/or making parking as expensive/difficult as possible.

If they want to encourage people to go to the shops then you would have thought theyd make it as easy as possible.......but no...thats the mind set of petty little bureaucracies like local councils

why bother going to the shops, if you know what you want you might as well click a few buttons and get it delivered to you, saves a lot of hassle

[yogi-bear]

Morning Jenna,

Yeah, really sad news about an iconic and a well respected chain of shops......still think someone may step in and save them ( bet Branson is making enquiries )....so there is hope yet.....maybe they will still operate online, but I for one would love to still see the HMV brand name still on my high street shops. Time will tell, but i do hope they survive .

[jno]

I doubt it, yogi, Branson's done megastores and then got out of the business already.

[yogi-bear]

Who is next?...... possibly WH Smith likely....how can they continue to compete against the supermarket chains who sell almost, if not everything they do on their shelves in their larger stores?.

I loved Woolies and still miss having a browse there when I was in town.

[yogi-bear]

Agreed jno and a very good morning to you......possibly seeing if a way forward and whether worth his time and money to venture back into it.......never say never again may be his way of thinking.

Would be nice to see someone come forward and try and save it.

[jno]

Branson's tried and dumped a lot of things from megastores to cosmetics (is Virgin Cola still going?). He's not all that sentimental when something isn't working.

WH Smith are going back to their roots, setting up stalls in train stations and airports for captive/passing customers, which is how they started out. They're closed or reduced some bigger High St shops, which may yet save them.

[sp1814]

Here's what I think a major part of the problem is - technology.

Practically everyone I know in my office has an e-reader of some sort (Kindle, iPad etc), so if someone recommends a book to me, or I see a poster for an author I like, I will download it directly to my device.

Same with music now. If I want an album, I won't trek to a record shop at lunchtime - I'll simply buy it from iTunes, or cue it up on Spotify.

Years ago, I would be in HMV every week buying media. But now I literally only ever go there once a year for Christmas presents...and with play.com and amazon.com, I don't even need to do that any more.

[ludwig]

It's worrying because it's not just a recession thing where retailers will ultimately bounce back and shops will re-open. It's part of a massive change in the way we buy things.

It does make you wonder what the average high street will look like fifty years time.

[ludwig]

^ on which note maybe 'the high street' should become more residential. We're always hearing about a housing shortage and it would save tarmacing the greenbelt.

[pastafreak]

I'd hope the High Street would go back to it's origins-small,independent shops. But as long as there are OTT rents and taxes,that's not too likely.

[anotheoldgit]

factor30

/// Pound shops, charity shops and Money Lenders ///

You forgot Bookmakers.