Jump to content
NEurope
Jimbob

HMV closes 63 UK stores, all Irish stores

Recommended Posts

I recall browsing a HMV when I went to London. They were like the British version of Fnac, and the prices there were so much lower than in Portugal.

 

I also bought Little King's Story and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn for a very low price. Can't remember if it was in HMV or not (do they sell used?), but still.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

They should of gone online only a long time ago. I havent been in an HMV store for three years, even longer since I bought something from them.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Where the hell am I supposed to go when my girlfriend drags me shopping now?

 

I know this makes me a girl, but I actually like going shopping and browsing the different stores. It'll be a strange thing if that concept disappears completely.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I like HMV. The only shop like it left. :(

 

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE WORLD

 

Companies will learn that having a near monopoly on the high street doesn't mean you should resort to price gauging, that's what will happen.

 

People argue that it's the fault of the super markets and the internet, but people don't usually go to the high street to turn up their nose at everything and then go home and order it on the internet instead. If they're going to a high street, they're intending to buy stuff for the convenience of not having to wait on multiple factors such as dispatch, postage, missing postage, the hassle of handling returns etc.

 

But HMV got far too greedy with its margins. Although lowering them would mean less income on each product sold, as most successful businesses have shown, you actually earn more because people will see the money they have left over and go for multiple products.

 

Feel bad for the workers, yet more victims of terrible fucking business tactics.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
This is absolutely tragic. I still have a £20 gift card to spend in there.

 

HOLD ON JUST A LITTLE LONGER HMV. BE STRONG.

 

I have about £70 on Fopp vouchers. Hoping I can spend them today!

 

Yeah, I hated the look of Game. I'd get a burning, acrid sensation on my skin every time I walked in. Not sure if that was because of the lighting or because of the absolute blood sucking vampires employed there.

 

tumblr_m3khzfui9R1rrx8imo4_250.gif

 

I always feel the need to shower after going in a Gamestation.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I assume this will see teh Irish stores close too (I haven't read the whole thread yet) :(

 

There's no HMV near me here in Waterford but whenever I went to Dublin I'd always pass the one in Dundrum near my cousins house. The last thing I bought there was Pinocchio on BluRay back in early December. I also go my cousin to buy me the Avengers boxset there cause they had it cheaper than the stores here. I got the Planet of the Apes BluRay boxset there in the Summer last year.

 

Of course there were many times I'd gone inside looked around and left with nothing but I do that with lots of stores. I rarely succumb to an impluse buy, but HMV was one of the few stores that had a good chance at making me buy something on impluse.

 

The last CD I bought (Iron Maiden - From Fear to Eternity) I bought in HMV too.

 

EDIT

 

Just realised... (maybe someone mentioned this already as I said just skimmed through the thread so far)

 

Didn't Nintendo use HMV for their official console launches in London. Granted there likely won't be another for at least 6 years but still without HMV where will Nintendo have their official launch :(

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Didn't Nintendo use HMV for their official console launches in London. Granted there likely won't be another for at least 6 years but still without HMV where will Nintendo have their official launch :(

 

Yes they did. They also played host to lots of different game events like Kojima's appearance in London.

 

On the plus side, I guess it means that these companies will be forced into doing nationwide tours if they want people to try out their new products or for fans to meet their heroes!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Anyone else find it a bit dodgy how they were all good* for Christmas when people buy a lot of gift cards from them, now they're in the shit and people can't use them. I know that's standard practice when a company goes into admin, but with Christmas only being 3 weeks away just seems unfair.

 

 

* Obviously not all that good, they've been treading water for years.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Feel bad for the staff, don't feel bad for the company. They brought it on themselves with their pricing.

 

It's the same as GAME. They collapsed because they didn't price competitively, they just sold at RRP and complained that people weregoing elsewhere. The fact GAME still do it after they almost went completely under just astounds me

 

I've always said that HMV is a good place to check stuff out to buy online

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I wonder how this will effect the Wii U. Not much time to react to a relatively fast loss of high street presence. Pretty bad timing, right after launch.

 

Tbh, the whole high street model needs an overhaul.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

thought would at least give some warning saying to people over xmas....or hell even a few days ago that there vouchers/cards need to be used up by today :/

got mate that has £50 voucher he may as well use it as a beer coaster now

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

All these people lamenting the death of a brand that all but killed independent music stores... you make me sick =/

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

^ Funnily enough though there will now be more independent music stores than big brands like HMV. At least where I am.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Its really bad news and i feel for the staff, the HMV in Leeds City Centre has one of those gaming zones and it was always good.

 

But pricing is the problem, they sell a lot of stuff at RRP or just above, but yet have a sale on all the old stuff constantly. I found i'd go in looking for something, see a DVD in the sale/ 3 for 20/2 for 30 deals etc and start impulse buying, then get to the item i wanted and find its extortionately expensive compared to other stores, supermarkets and online retailers!

 

I don't mind paying slightly more than online but its never slightly more, a game might be £35 online brand new, a supermarket will have it for £40 and HMV (and GAME) will have the same game for £45-50 sometimes £55 (i'm looking at the AAA cod titles) and its just too much!

 

And then there is random pricing of Old things, i wanted Dexter, breaking bad, fringe etc on DVD starting obviously with season 1, and i'd find HMV would have them for double, sometimes treble what they are elsewhere

 

I think the high street need to rethink how they competitively price, gamestation when they were independent used to have games for £20 a week or so after launch, their deals of the week iirc and it drew me in, i'd buy the game and sometimes others. That sort of practice seems to be few and far between now

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I keep contemplating opening an independant game store in town, filling in the gap of GAME and now HMV, but it's too risky :(

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I keep contemplating opening an independant game store in town, filling in the gap of GAME and now HMV, but it's too risky :(

 

Far too risky unless you consider including a service as a part of the business venture. Nothing stupid like the 'Game Pad', but you know better than that.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Clearly the high street is dying, attributable imo largely to the constant rise of the internet - so the question is; what do the high street need to do to survive? Can they, or is it already a battle in vain?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Clearly the high street is dying, attributable imo largely to the constant rise of the internet - so the question is; what do the high street need to do to survive? Can they, or is it already a battle in vain?

Competitive prices. They need to stop having things at "RRP"

 

I knew GAME and HMV were going down when they both had PokéPark Wii for £42, a year after release

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Clearly the high street is dying, attributable imo largely to the constant rise of the internet - so the question is; what do the high street need to do to survive? Can they, or is it already a battle in vain?

 

More independent shops. Many many more. In fact, only independent shops.

 

Massive chain stores should be strictly limited and otherwise restrained to being online.

 

Capitalism killed the community.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I keep contemplating opening an independant game store in town, filling in the gap of GAME and now HMV, but it's too risky :(

 

If you ever decide to open one and need someone to work in the store, feel free to contact me. =P

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
If you ever decide to open one and need someone to work in the store, feel free to contact me. =P

Shall do. I just need more money so the risk is less :p

 

Fingers crossed I win the lottery tonight!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

wow, Play.com and HMV, both places I buy most of my dvd's, games and stuff from are now closing. I'll be sad to see HMV croydon close down, that's been there since I was in school. I remember a lot of pop groups used to perform and sign stuff there in the 90's.

 

But as many have said already, the pricing just seemed to get worse. I hope HMV can continue as an onine retailer rather then just completely disappear.

 

Also: I thought this was funny:

 

wiG6q.jpg?1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

They gave me £23 cash for Batman Wii U on Sunday! I only paid £25 for it new online and you can still buy it for that now. Did I kill HMV?I would have gone for credit of £28 and got a new game there and then, but man, prices were well over the top. CEX offered me £21, Granger £16 and GAME £12 lol. Who ever's running HMV doesn't know what they're doing. In liverpool, all four shops are within 2 seconds of each other on foot so there's no excuse to impluse buy or sell at any of them without checking the deals in the other shops first.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It's all well and good saying lower prices, but surely it isn't always feasible? There's larger overheads with running a retail store I'm sure, hence why the internet can manage to be cheaper. They're effectively undercut by the internet, the only tangible benefit I see of a retail store is having something then and there(slightly offset by a need to travel in some cases), which mostly for games doesn't bother me because I'd rather save the money, or I've got it preordered and might recieve it before street date, or in the case I find most applicable to shopto - I'll both get it cheaper AND have it within a day or two. I've ordered and had something from there in less than 24 hours. I just don't see what the high street can do to compete, except match the prices, but I imagine that isn't feasible.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Also: I thought this was funny:

 

wiG6q.jpg?1

 

Aww god see! that is exactly what i'm talking about! a quick google search and its around £65 everywhere else, there can't be that much extra over heads for a retail store to increase costs by around 1/3! if there were everyone would be online only!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

×