HMV Japan
The HMV logo featuring Nipper and the gramophone
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|
| Private | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 20 July 1921 in London, United Kingdom |
| Headquarters |
Mermaid House, Puddle Dock, London, United Kingdom |
|
Number of locations
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128 stores |
|
Area served
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United Kingdom |
|
Key people
|
Paul McGowan, Chairman |
| Products |
Music downloads Books Video games Film Television Games Magazines Music Fashion Technology Merchandise Cinema |
| Revenue | £1,956.7 million (2009) |
| £70.3 million (2009) | |
| Profit | £44.2 million (2009) |
| Owner | Hilco |
|
Number of employees
|
2,500 (2013) |
| Subsidiaries | Fopp |
| Website | |
HMV Retail Ltd. is an entertainment retailing company (registered in England) operating in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company on Oxford Street in 1921, and the HMV name was also used for television and radio sets manufactured from the 1930s onwards. The retail side of the business began to expand in the 1960s, and in 1998 was divested from EMI, the successor to the Gramophone Company, to form what would become HMV Group.
HMV stands for His Master's Voice, the title of a painting by Francis Barraud of the dog Nipper listening to a cylinder phonograph, which was bought by the Gramophone Company in 1899. For advertising purposes this was changed to a wind-up gramophone, and eventually used simply as a silhouette.
HMV owned the Waterstone's bookshop chain from 1998 until 2011, and has owned the music retailer Fopp since August 2007. It purchased a number of former Zavvi stores in February 2009, and also branched into live music venue management that year by purchasing MAMA Group. It sold the group in December 2012.
On 15 January 2013, HMV Group plc entered administration.Deloitte were appointed to deal with the administration of the company. On 16 January 2013, HMV Ireland declared receivership, and all Irish stores were closed. A week later, on 22 January 2013, it was reported that Hilco UK would buy the debt of HMV, a step towards potentially taking control of the company. The sale of HMV's Hong Kong and Singapore business to private equity firm Aid Partners was completed on 28 February 2013. On 5 April 2013, HMV was bought out of administration by Hilco UK for an estimated £50 million to form the current company. HMV Group plc, which had been listed on the and was a constituent of the FTSE Fledgling Index, was liquidated in July 2014.
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