Delighted with this news. The company has seemingly remained strong in the UK since Doug Putman brought new life in to it. Obviously he must still see potential in the Irish market.
Good stuff.
No doubt it will be well stocked with vinyl but hopefully they will have a good 4K/BluRay selection too.
Great news. It looks to be the current GameStop location on the street.
Given Blu-Ray (and games) aren't mentioned in the article, it's a bit of a 'wait and see' IMO as the big pitch seems to be towards music & vinyl.
Other than the IFI Bookshop and the rather chaotic selection in Tower Records, we don't really have a good spot in Ireland to browse a specialist / boutique Blu-Ray offering, which is tbh is where the really cool stuff is happening in physical media. If Nu HMV has a token Blu-Ray selection or a Golden Discs style focus on only the most mainstream offerings, I can't imagine it being particularly appealing. But again - wait and see. I'd still much prefer a Fopp for Dublin :P
Fopp has been owned by HMV for a while, and based on what I've seen of the recently-opened HMV in Edinburgh someone has been paying at least a bit of attention to what works in Fopp as far as store layout and stock goes.
Don't get me wrong, Fopp is still IMO the better of the two for film fans (better international film section, better back catalogue of films and IME staff who are more interested in/knowledgeable about film) but maybe you'll be lucky and get a Fopp-in-HMV-signage store in Dublin...
It's not the GameStop shop it's the old HMV store which was Elverys until recently.
How is the business model suppose to work when most people download their music for free ?
Surprising.
but welcome. Returning back to their old flagship store on Oxford St London too apparently..…
how it’s going to work ? Good question… they’ll maybe have a strong combination of technology / electronics and gaming to go with music sales….maybe even incorporate a cafe.
I am happy to see them back. Not a fan of golden discs
Most yes, but in the last few years there has been a significant uptick in sales of Vinyl and CDs; to the extent I think it's the highest they've been since the 90s? HMV probably can't justify being on every high street anymore, but from what I've read they're catering for the above, plus there'll be a performance stage for live events, and a significant portion of the stock is gonna be dedicated to ... well, pop-culture junk (Marvel Funko Pops and all that landfill).
Streaming's convenient n' all but I think it was quickly discovered there's still a market for discerning music lovers who want a physical space, and physical media, rather than digital. Even something like Radio Nova has part of its daily schedule dedicated to playing "Vinyl" - though obviously made redundant in being then piped through a digital FM stream lol.
With Gamestop going and, as you say, people beginning to realise that Streaming (Video and audio) isn't permanent and is fracturing again, and the resurgence in expensive vinyl on the rise, it's probably a good time to come back. I think their whole issue last time was their immediate cash flow problems as opposed to dying. The idea of having a small stage for bands is a good idea. Especially for brand new acts. They have to start somewhere. I'm sure most will be terrible but it great to get the opportunity
Yeah, every time I'm in the city centre I see Tower Records bags, which clearly contain a vinyl record. In the anime industry there's also a UK distributor (Anime Limited / All The Anime) that has moved into selling anime soundtracks on vinyl. There's a huge market for it, and for far more demographics than people realize.
I think HMV will probably start with music, maybe shirts and funko pops, but they will probably move into Blu-Ray, 4K, all that good stuff at a certain point, given that the UK branches offer those as well and it has been to their benefit.
Not related to HMV but may be of interest - Golden Discs are doing 2 for €25 on a range of 4k discs atm, there’s a selection of 2 for €35 also.
Opening tomorrow at 10am...
So apparently there are no movies in this new store. No 4K, Blu ray or dvd's for sale. Bah.
Looks more like a toy shop judging from the pictures I've seen of it.
Absolute joke having no blurays, the online shop doesn’t ship to Ireland and they have loads of exclusive steelbooks
Agreed.
Fopp gets my vote.
They have stated that they are working on an Irish online store and hope to open it in the autumn.
Honestly I'm not surprised. I had suspected it'd go this way; the lack of physical media is disappointing though.
Having been in their Edinburgh shop recently, it's exactly like a toy and t-shirt shop. A floor full of Marvel and those pop toys.
My 16 year old has revived the old turntable and loves a vinyl now, and I found it very hard to browse for anything tbh.
The old HMVs were amazing. This looks like a cardboard cutout..
Did you go downstairs in the Edinburgh shop? That's where all the film & TV physical media is. Same thing with Fopp in Edinburgh now that it's moved from its previous Rose St location, which is not really a surprise since HMV own Fopp...
Good to see them back in Dublin ... but I would still not buy any gift vouchers just before Christmas!
Buy a few cd's, it'll be great.
Not just exclusive steelbooks, but a lot of regular bluray releases are HMV exclusives over here, which is extra annoying when even their website won't ship here. I just assumed they'd have physical discs in their physical store. Is it confirmed that they don't?
Do they sell games?
Sounds like they're going the GameStop route.
+1
I loved CDs and would consider buying them again but I hope now, after all these years those who manufacture them have improved the packaging. Those plastic cases were awful, often breaking the tabs and the double CD holders were even more flimsy. Surely sustainable good quality cardboard/paper packaging would be ideal with some nice artwork on it.
The longevity of vinyl as a popular format is something else. Will people still be buying Blu-rays 50 years from now? I can't see it unless the user experience has dramatically improved.
Yes it sure was. I spent a lot of money and time in that store on Henry Street.
Is vinyl’s renewed popularity attributable to the quality of the user experience? I understand a lot of the modern releases are just digital transfers. The CD provides an excellent user experience but will soon disappear. I still remember the first time I heard one; it was such a dramatic improvement over the cassettes I was used to.
