HMV
HMV is a music and entertainment retailer, founded in the United Kingdom in 1921. As of February 2024, it is currently operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan and Belgium, as well as having concessions at Toys "R" Us locations in Canada.
HMV logo used at physical shops since 2021, featuring Nipper and the gramophone | |
The HMV Shop at Trinity Walk in Wakefield | |
Trade name | HMV |
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Music & film retail |
| Founded | 20 July 1921 |
| Headquarters | London, England, UK |
Number of locations | 119 shops (as of April 2023) |
Area served | United Kingdom Ireland Belgium Japan Canada |
Key people | Neil Taylor (CEO) Phil Halliday (managing director) |
| Products | Music film television merchandise technology video games books |
| Owner | Sunrise Records (United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland and Belgium) Lawson (Japan) |
Number of employees | 1,600 (as of 2019) |
| Subsidiaries | Fopp |
| Website | HMV.com |
The retailer's acronym stands for His Master's Voice, the title of a painting by Francis Barraud of Nipper listening to a phonograph. The retailer was opened by the Gramophone Company on London's Oxford Street in 1921. In 1998, it was divested from EMI (successor to the Gramophone Company), to form what would become HMV Group plc. In August 2007, HMV bought rival retailer, Fopp.
In April 2013, HMV was bought by Hilco UK for an estimated £50 million after falling into administration. In February 2019, JD Sports acquired the HMV brand, with the Canadian retailer Sunrise Records operating the HMV shops under license. The brand also exists in Japan, but under separate ownership.