Number of HMV stores in the United Kingdom (UK) 2010-2017

HMV used to be the superstar of the UK highstreet but this is no longer the case. The slumping number of HMV stores confirms this. Since 2010, the number of stores the music retailer owns declined dramatically from 293 to 131. The slashing of more than half of HMV stores had quite a lot to do with the fact that the retailer fell into administration in 2013 and was subsequently bought. Since then, things have not improved much for HMV. HMV under Hilco UK announced insolvency yet again in December 2018, bringing about more uncertainty and turbulence. Leadership changes hand in entertainment retail It is no secret that the market for physical music and entertainment media has been hit badly by the prevalence of digital formats. In the UK, online dominates entertainment retail sales by a large proportion. This trend is reflected in the leading names of the UK entertainment market. In 2017, Amazon ranked as the top retailer in this market ahead of traditional retailers such as HMV. Is the physical music store still relevant? As a traditional retailer, HMV may be struggling amidst the digital revolution in the way we consumer music and entertainment now, but the 98-year-old store is certainly not giving up the ghost. HMV was recently bought by Sunrise Records, the Canadian retailer who highlighted the value of HMV as a heritage brand in the UK. The rebranding of HMV is already underway with its new owner, yet whether it will stay relevant for music consumers remains to be seen.

昔日，HMV曾是英国商业街区的璀璨明星，然今日之境已不复当年风光。HMV门店数量的急剧下滑，正是这一趋势的明证。自2010年起，这家音乐零售商拥有的门店数量从293家锐减至131家。超过一半的门店关闭，很大程度上归因于2013年HMV陷入破产管理，随后被收购。自那时起，HMV的状况并未明显改善。2018年12月，HMV在Hilco UK的领导下再次宣布破产，这无疑又给其带来了更多的不确定性和动荡。娱乐零售业领导权的更迭 物理音乐和娱乐媒体市场受到数字格式的普及严重冲击，这一事实并非秘密。在英国，线上销售占据了娱乐零售市场的绝大多数份额。这一趋势在英国娱乐市场的领军企业中也有所体现。2017年，亚马逊成为该市场的顶级零售商，领先于HMV等传统零售商。 物理音乐门店是否仍具相关性？ 作为一家传统零售商，HMV或许在数字消费音乐和娱乐的变革中遭遇困境，但这家拥有98年历史的店铺显然并未放弃。近期，HMV被加拿大零售商Sunrise Records收购，后者的收购行为凸显了HMV作为英国遗产品牌的价值。HMV的重新品牌化工作已在新的所有者领导下启动，然而其是否能够继续吸引音乐消费者的关注，仍有待观察。