The saviour of music chain HMV insists the high street can thrive – as he prepared to open Europe’s biggest record store.
Canadian Doug Putman, 34, bought 100 HMV shops out of administration in February this year. Some 1,500 jobs were saved, but 455 staff got the axe as 27 stores shut.
Mr Putman, who owns Canadian chain Sunrise Records, will unveil a 25,000sqft branch of HMV in Birmingham tomorrow in a former IKEA store.
Called HMV Vault, it will stock an “unrivalled” range of LPs and merchandise.
The Dale End store will have a stage for shows.
Former One Direction star Liam Payne will perform at the store’s launch, with fellow chart topper and X Factor star James Arthur playing there on Saturday.
Mr Putnam 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.”
He says the store gives fans “opportunities to come together and share their passion for music and film.”
His comments echo the Daily Mirror’s call to action as part of our High Street Fightback campaign.
Mr Putman previously criticised rival Amazon and its tax affairs, saying: “I think people are starting to catch on.
“We put money back into the community and we are still the same price, if not cheaper.”
The Birmingham HMV will stock more than 100,000 LPs and CDs.
It will also be the first retailer to be able to offer every film available on 4K ultra-HD (20,000 blu-ray and more than 40,000 DVD titles), alongside a range of 7,000 music-related books, fashion and merchandise.
Experts will help customers select the very latest range of music technology.
