LONDON (AP) — Canadian retailer Sunrise Records is pulling stricken retailer HMV out of bankruptcy in a deal that will safeguard some 1,500 jobs.
However administrator KPMG says 27 stores will close immediately, resulting in a loss of 455 jobs.
The move comes amid extreme pressure on physical retailers as customers buy more online. Poundworld, Toys’R’Us and Maplin went under last year, and major retailers like Debenhams are closing stores.
Management professor Christian Stadler of Warwick Business School says that while it is “excellent” news for those who prefer to buy their music from a shop, rather than streaming or online, it would be foolish to think there is “scope for considerable growth. HMV’s new owners need to focus on carving out some sort of niche to ensure a future for the company.”