HMV tunes up for launch of Europe’s biggest store in Birmingham city centre
Retailer hmv is set to launch its biggest store – and Europe’s largest music and entertainment space – in Birmingham tomorrow.
The hmv Vault is a 25,000 sq ft space and marks the next step in the brand’s revival under new ownership after being acquired by Canadian company Sunrise Records in February.
The multi-million-pound investment by hmv will see the doors open to the store at Dale End, close to the city centre in a former IKEA warehouse space.
The hmv Vault will include a custom-designed in-store performance space, designed to lure internationally-renowned and up-and-coming artists to perform live in the city.
It will range over 100,000 LPs and CDs to offer the widest range of access to physical formats for fans across genres and be the first retailer to be able to offer every film available on 4K UHD (20,000 Blu-ray and over 40,000 DVD titles), alongside a range of 7,000 music-related books and music-inspired fashion and merchandise. There will also be experts on-hand to help customers select the very latest range of music-tech from turntables to headphones.
Doug Putman, owner of hmv said: “I am a firm believer in the potential for British high street retail and hmv will play a fundamental role in ensuring that our shopping districts continue to thrive.
“Retail offers two things a purely digital experience of music simply can’t – the opportunity to experience the biggest acts live in our stores and our ability to offer a platform to new artists in the
communities where we operate, as well as opportunities for fans to come together and share their passion for music and film with our dedicated staff.
“The hmv Vault has been built with the needs of the modern music and film fan at its heart with a permanent live performance space and an unparalleled range catering to the full breadth of our customers’ tastes.”
The new store will feature an opening performance from Liam Payne, who will take the stage on Friday. He will be followed by sets from James Arthur, The Murder Capital and local bands over its opening weekend.
Putman added: “I want our stores to be at the heart of a community of music and film fans and a place where they can not only satisfy their passion, they can also meet each other and discover new artists as well as see some of the biggest names in the business perform. The hmv Vault will become the home of music in Birmingham so I can’t wait to welcome the city’s fans through our doors.”
