Sad or not bothered? Shoppers react to HMV administration
From ‘not that bothered’ to ‘sad to see it go’ – shoppers have reacted to the news that HMV has gone into administration.
The retail group, which trades from 130 stores nationwide and employs 2,200 staff, has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators amid a cash crisis at the firm.
The music retailer, which has stores in Wolverhampton, Merry Hill and Birmingham’s Bullring, is at risk of becoming the first high street casualty after Christmas – and shoppers had their say on what they think.
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Peter Mendez, who lives in Salisbury but is originally from Willenhall, was shopping in Wolverhampton with partner Amanda Mendez, 29.
Peter said HMV was 'more of a meeting place' and was surprised to find it was still going.
The 55-year-old said: “We used to shop there a lot and most of the chaps go in there. We used to buy a lot in there.
"I thought they had closed anyway. I’m surprised it’s still going. We mainly look online for CDs and by them off eBay now. It was like a market stall for CDs indoors.
“It was somewhere to go. You only went there because your missus was going shopping and you didn’t want to wait for her. You went there because you had to.”
Jenny Hall, 29 and from Parkfields in Wolverhampton, said she stopped going into the store because of the ‘ridiculous prices’ – opting to buy online instead.
“I’m not that bothered. I stopped shopping there a while ago because of the ridiculous prices. You can get it cheaper on Amazon.
“I never used to buy online but I do now.
"I stopped going in a few years ago. I'm not surprised by the news – it's just because of the prices.
"It would be weird not seeing it there. I don't think I'll get used to it if it happens – just like Woolworths."
Phil Carpenter, 61, from Wednesfield, was out shopping with daughter Ash Carpenter, 25.
He said he would be ‘sad’ to see the store go – and said Wolverhampton would become a ‘ghost town’ if other retailers went under, or pulled out of the centre.
He said: “The internet is the biggest thing, isn’t it? Personally, I would be sad to see it go but I buy fairly rarely. If If I see something I really like I’ll go in.
“There’s no reason why you would want to come here. It’s not just HMV – it’s the whole city centre.
"The whole of Wolverhampton is in jeopardy. If M&S is closing stores, you’ve got Boots and Primark left and if they pulled out of Wolverhampton it would be a ghost town.”
Miserable year for retail
The failure of another major high street name before the year is up would cap a miserable 12 months for the retail sector.
The likes of Poundworld, Toys'R'Us and Maplin have all gone bust this year, while Marks & Spencer and Debenhams have announced plans to shut hundreds of stores.
High street retailers have been slashing prices after brutal trading in November and early December failed to lure shoppers to stores.
Traditional retailers have been battling the rise of online shopping, higher costs and low consumer confidence as shoppers rein in spending amid Brexit uncertainty.
KPMG and Hilco, which also owns Homebase, declined to comment.
