26 Facts About HMV Group

Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV Group, is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom.

HMV Group stands for His Master's Voice, the title of a painting by Francis Barraud of Nipper listening to a Phonograph cylinder, bought by the Gramophone Company in 1899.

HMV Group owned the Waterstones bookshop chain from 1998 until 2011, and has owned the music retailer Fopp since August 2007.

On 15 January 2013, HMV Group plc entered administration; HMV Ireland declared receivership and all Irish stores were closed.

HMV Group plc, which had been listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE Fledgling Index, was liquidated in July 2014.

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HMV Group Canada went into receivership in 2017 after being sued by Huk 10 Ltd.

On 28 December 2018, HMV Group announced that the company had fallen into administration.

On 5 February 2019, HMV Group was acquired by the Canadian company Sunrise Records, which had bought the leases for 70 former HMV Group Canada properties in an effort to continue operating them as record stores.

Antecedents of HMV Group began in the 1890s at the dawn of the disc gramophone.

Original HMV Group shop was severely damaged by a fire in 1937, but was rebuilt and reopened two years later on 8 May 1939.

Subsequently, HMV Group overtook Our Price in popularity and threatened its existence, having established a chain of newer and larger stores.

HMV Group floated on the London Stock Exchange later in the year as HMV Group plc, leaving EMI with only a token holding.

HMV Group became susceptible to a takeover following a poor period of trading up to Christmas 2005.

Permira made a second offer which increased the value, although HMV Group declined it on 13 March 2006, subsequently issuing a statement that the offer undervalued the medium and long term prospects for the company, resulting in Permira withdrawing from bidding.

In 2006, the HMV Group purchased the Ottakar's book chain and merged it into Waterstones.

On 14 January 2009 a placing announcement by HMV Group revealed that it intended to acquire 14 of Zavvi's stores.

HMV Group Ireland followed by declaring receivership on 16 January 2013, which required the company under Irish law to close all its stores immediately.

In January 2015, HMV Group overtook Amazon to become the largest retailer of physical music in the UK.

On 28 December 2018, HMV Group confirmed it had again been placed into administration.

From 22 March to 15 June, and then from 5 November to 2 December 2020 and from 4 January 2021 to 12 April 2021, all HMV Group stores were closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Into the 2020s, HMV Group began opening new and relocated stores, including in locations which previously had HMV Group branches that had earlier shut, such as Solihull.

HMV Group established a joint venture with Curzon Cinemas in October 2009 as part of chief executive Simon Fox's plan to bring cinemas to HMV Group and Waterstone's stores across England.

In June 2015, HMV Group relaunched an online store to accompany its existing music download service.

HMV Group relaunched its online store in June 2015, providing CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, and LP records for online order and home delivery with exclusive stock available.

On 1 September 2008, HMV Group launched "Get Closer", a social networking site allowing users to import their own music library, rivalling other providers including online music stores Napster and the iTunes Store.

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HMV Group operated a loyalty scheme branded as "purehmv", first launched in August 2003, but subsequently closed and relaunched in 2008.