Tag Archives: retail

Dixons Retail, owner of PC World and Currys, has today reported strong sales for the 12 weeks up to January 5th, including the Christmas period. Like-for-like sales were up seven per cent, with UK and Ireland doing one better on eight per cent (based on stores open for the full …

HMV has closed its 16 Irish stores and has appointed receivers, putting 300 jobs at risk. However, whereas the administration process – such as that employed by the British arm of HMV – is designed to find a way of keeping a business operating, receivership will mean the end of …

Business recovery firm Begbies Traynor estimates that 140 UK retailers are currently in a critical condition”. The firm would not identify any of the 140 retailers on its critical watchlist”, but their inclusion means they have either a winding up petition or a county court judgement over 5,000. The stats …

Retailer Blockbuster has announced that it will continue to honour gift cards and store credit despite slipping into administration this afternoon. This means gamers who have amassed credit at the store following its increased focus on trade-ins over recent months are not yet being left out of pocket. It will …

In the same week as the UK High Street saw HMV slip into administration, fellow long-term chain Blockbuster has now followed its lead. But whereas HMV bosses remain convinced that they can turn the situation around and save the brand, Blockbuster’s days already seem numbered. In recent years Blockbuster has …

UK entertainment retail is facing another huge blow, with reports that Blockbuster is to enter administration. MCV sources have informed us that management had already been planning to shut in the region of 150 UK stores over the next six months. The retailer is understood to be sitting on significant …

An enraged grandfather yesterday stormed out of a Dublin HMV store with three games in hand after staff refused to accept his voucher. The Irish Independent reports that Eric Nolan purchased a €40 HMV voucher for his grandson for Christmas and was attempting to spend it on three games. However, …

Administrators Deloitte have taken HMV’s website offline. In its place is a message explaining that: HMV.com has been suspended following the appointment of the Joint Administrators. No purchases can be made until further notice.” HMV management has previously insisted that existing orders are still being processed and will be honoured. …

The cost to the UK video games market should HMV fail to find a buyer could be as little as four per cent. That’s thanks to HMV’s relatively small share of the UK games market. Nonetheless, its demise would theoretically leave the High Street with just a 16 per cent …

HMV boss Trevor Moore may have delivered an upbeat message to journalists yesterday, but administrator Deloitte has warned that it’s a tough market for entertainment retailers at the moment. The retailer is burdened by around 200m of debt and still seems to be appealing to the goodwill of suppliers in …