HMV reopens flagship Oxford Street store
HMV has launched a new flagship store in London’s Oxford Street on the site where it originally opened its doors in 1921.
Spanning three floors, the 10,500 square-foot retail space will offer 35,000 products for music and pop culture lovers and will also include a purpose-built performance floor.
Music fans will be able to select from 8,000 different vinyl albums and 12,000 CDs. There will also be a range of music technology on offer, as well as 4,000 products across franchises such as Pokémon, Star Wars, Marvel and DC.
The launch will include an appearance from members of Madness who will be meeting fans and going behind the tills as part of the opening weekend. There will also be appearances from Baby Queen, The Reytons and Hard-Fi, as well as an acoustic performance from Rachel Chinouriri.
Over the decades, HMV Oxford Street hosted concerts and signings from artists such as The Weeknd, Kylie Minogue, The Spice Girls and Blur, with the latter taking to the rooftop of the shop in 1995.
Doug Putman (pictured), chief executive and owner of HMV, said: “I want our stores to be at the heart of a community of music and film fans and a place where they can not only satisfy their passion, they can also meet each other and discover new artists as well as see some of the biggest names in the business perform. 363 Oxford Street is a homecoming for the brand and a clear statement about the strength of HMV, of London as a shopping destination and the state of music in the UK, so I can’t wait to welcome the fans through our doors.”
Cllr Geoff Barraclough, Westminster City Council’s cabinet member for planning and economic development, said: “HMV is returning to its historic home on Oxford Street. I am excited to welcome the store back to where it stood for more than 90 years, replacing one of the largest American candy stores which has temporarily occupied the space.
“Its return along with numerous other brands is testimony that the buzz is back on nation’s most-loved high street. A string of other high street names will soon benefit from the planned upgrade of Oxford Street which starts next year. The new HMV store represents exactly what we want Oxford Street to be all about – an experience beyond traditional retail.”
