HMV
The reason for HMV being expensive is logical: ten to fifteen years ago they had competition in the shape of Our Price, Virgin plus a scattering on small outlets, but they've long gone.
What?
The reason for HMV being expensive is logical: ten to fifteen years ago they had competition in the shape of Our Price, Virgin plus a scattering on small outlets, but they've long gone.
What?
What?
The reason for HMV being expensive is logical: ten to fifteen years ago they had competition in the shape of Our Price, Virgin plus a scattering on small outlets, but they've long gone.
What?
What?
I don't understand why you are saying HMV was expensive.
It's a sad state of affairs but unfortunately if businesses such as Jessops,HMV cannot change their operating models to suit today's consumer there is ony one way they will go. Consumers have a finite amount of money to spend so it's only natural they want to buy a product at the cheapest possible price. It's survival of the fittest.
Perhaps the government should be doing more to close down tax loopholes so everything bought online and sent to a UK address should be subject to UK tax law. Also giving tax breaks to stores who chose to have a phsical presence would readdress the balance somewhat. High street stores employ far more people per £ spent than online warehouse retailers and pay UK tax so there are definitely economic benefits to be had.
I'm not sure if this is the answer or not but if the UK wants to have a thriving high street then some actionw will need to be taken at government level.
Surely this is inevitable? Everything is moving online, either downloadable or streamed. In another 10 years will physical media even be a mainstream thing? Vinyl, most certainly. Blu-rays, maybe, if broadband speeds can't handle big files. For most other media types most likely not.
We're going through a massive transformation in how we live and shop. Retailers will have to adapt to this changeor they will fail. The likes of Waterstones and other book sellers will have to ensure they have a viable online business for ebooks. Even newsagents will have to prepare for when newspapers and magazines switch to online editions.
It's sad when any business goes under with the resultant job losses but the management had not done a good enough job transforming the business and this is the result.
The reason for HMV being expensive is logical: ten to fifteen years ago they had competition in the shape of Our Price, Virgin plus a scattering on small outlets, but they've long gone.
What?
What?
I don't understand why you are saying HMV was expensive.
Wasn't - a couple have. I've just given a plausible reason why they may not be as competitive. If you have competitors in the same high street it makes you more price conscious.
In Sutton, where I grew up, there was Our Price, Virgin, HMV, Woolworth, WH Smith, Boots and a independent shop in a arcade... all within a area of around 200 yards.
HMV were expensive because of operating costs, nothing to do with lack of competition.
As for the commonly stated belief that retailers need to 'adapt' and if they don't then their demise is their own fault - That's a bit too simplistic, IMO. Sometimes there's nowhere to go.
The reason for HMV being expensive is logical: ten to fifteen years ago they had competition in the shape of Our Price, Virgin plus a scattering on small outlets, but they've long gone.
What?
What?
I don't understand why you are saying HMV was expensive.
Wasn't - a couple have. I've just given a plausible reason why they may not be as competitive. If you have competitors in the same high street it makes you more price conscious.
In Sutton, where I grew up, there was Our Price, Virgin, HMV, Woolworth, WH Smith, Boots and a independent shop in a arcade... all within a area of around 200 yards.
You said expensive, not competitive. Just quoting you.
You think HMV wasn't 'conscious' of the pricing of its online competitors??
As has just been pointed out, lack of competition was not the reason for HMV being expensive / uncompetitive.
HMV were expensive because of operating costs, nothing to do with lack of competition.
As for the commonly stated belief that retailers need to 'adapt' and if they don't then their demise is their own fault - That's a bit too simplistic, IMO. Sometimes there's nowhere to go.
HMV had their chances. If the company had a bit more foresight back in the early 00's it could be an entirely different story. They chose to bury there head in the sand. I'm not saying finding a successful strategy is easy but sitting there doing nothing just isn't an option. They could have started a napster style business, lovefilm etc when they were real big hitters in the industry, they pretty much a monolpoly over the UK retail music market. They didn't, they rested upon there laurels and have, unfortunately, paid the price for their lack of innovation.
The reason for HMV being expensive is logical: ten to fifteen years ago they had competition in the shape of Our Price, Virgin plus a scattering on small outlets, but they've long gone.
What?
What?
I don't understand why you are saying HMV was expensive.
Wasn't - a couple have. I've just given a plausible reason why they may not be as competitive. If you have competitors in the same high street it makes you more price conscious.
In Sutton, where I grew up, there was Our Price, Virgin, HMV, Woolworth, WH Smith, Boots and a independent shop in a arcade... all within a area of around 200 yards.
You said expensive, not competitive. Just quoting you.
You think HMV wasn't 'conscious' of the pricing of its online competitors??
As has just been pointed out, lack of competition was not the reason for HMV being expensive / uncompetitive.
Okay, should have said 'percieved' as expensive. Numerous have mentioned this http://www.whathifi.com/forum/hot-deals/hmv-blue-cross-sale-starts-saturday-12th-jan?page=1#comment-2801360
Don't know, are they more expensive than online sellers, once you factor in the postage costs? Pennies, perhaps, unless you go the s/hand route then that's a different proposition.
As I mentioned on the link above I bought two albums for a tenner. No too bad at all.
http://www.whathifi.com/forum/off-topic-and-miscellaneous/woolworths-enters-administration
http://www.whathifi.com/forum/theres-this-shop-near-me/comet-nationwide-closure
http://www.whathifi.com/forum/off-topic-and-miscellaneous/jessops-about-to-enter-administration
Add to this list Our Price, Virgin, Laskys (purely hi-fi)
Ironic that I mentioned that my local HMV had gone
http://www.whathifi.com/forum/hi-fi/where-have-all-our-record-shops-gone
Perhaps the government should be doing more to close down tax loopholes so everything bought online and sent to a UK address should be subject to UK tax law.
They already have. The result was that Play in the Channel Islands closed with over 300 job losses.
I'm sure they could have been more proactive in certain areas, but there are no guarantees that any other avenues would have paid off. They might have gone under even quicker if they had. It's easy to look at a failed business and say what we'd have done differently, but we don't know all the facts.
Anyway, my point was more aimed at retail in general. Sometimes you can't adapt, if everything moves online and you have a shop there's not much you can do. Flats, maybe 
And 220 employees who worked for 'Amazon's preferred merchant' Indigo Lighthouse, who used to supply sub LVCR threshold goods. Loads of other fulfilment companies too, but not that many related to music/movies.
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Think it will be a sad day when the high street will be filled with Starbucks / Costa / Cafe Nero, charity shops and Poundland type junk stores. Looks like we're heading that way though doesn't it?
This is what I mentioned earlier - even charity shops will suffer, because a lot of their stock is ex-display stuff from other high street chains. Two charity shops have closed in my village alone.
The reason for HMV being expensive is logical: ten to fifteen years ago they had competition in the shape of Our Price, Virgin plus a scattering on small outlets, but they've long gone.
Sadly this is a monster truck with no-one to pull the brakes up, steam rollering our way of life.
R.I.P. High Street retailer.
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