HMV rolls out expanded technology offer to 150 stores
Entertainment retailer HMV is rolling out its expanded technology offer to 150 stores in an attempt to grow its presence in the technology market.
This strategic initiative for HMV follows a successful trial at six stores in the first half of 2011, and will see the trading space and current range of technology products in-store substantially extended to as much as 25% of store space in many of its shops.
Using the headline ‘Play It, Touch It, Live It’, the launch will be promoted via windows and in-store and through HMV’s loyalty scheme, purehmv, with targeted communications and offers to its 1.7 million membership, as well as bursts of advertising across all channels including TV, press, outdoor and new/social media at various points during Q3/Q4.
The move follows the expansion of the retailer’s technology team with a number of new appointments.
Ewan Pinder, who joined the retailer in March from Comet, now heads up an expanded team of nine people which is almost double the size of the previous technology team. Heading up a newly created category division under Pinder is Phil Browes, who joined the business in June, also from Comet.
Pinder said: “We now have a really strong buying team in place – an excellent blend of experience and commerciality and youthful drive and enthusiasm, which will support our plans to expand HMV’s tech offer and our ambition to become the leading specialist retailer of personal technology on the high street. HMV’s remit has always been about giving its customers the widest-possible access to music, film and games, however they want to discover and enjoy them, so expanding our range of technology products, through which so many of us increasingly consume our entertainment content these days, is actually a very natural fit for us.”
