HMV in Liverpool ONE
Entertainment retail giant HMV have announced the reopening of their stores, Getintothis’ Sian Ellis reports.
HMV are late to the party in announcing the reopening of all of their stores nationwide, after several record stores revealed their plans to reopen Monday June 15.
The news comes after the government have confirmed that non-essential stores are allowed to reopen, provided that they maintain social distancing rules and regular cleaning is in place.
They join a long list of independent record stores who are prepared to open their doors, including North West favourites Probe Records, Piccadilly Records, Action Records and Dig Vinyl.
Other stores, such as Vinyl Tap Records and Crash Records, took to Twitter to let customers know about their plans to reopen.
As part of the reopening, HMV have introduced a number of measures that are in place in order to reduce the risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19 while in store.
Measures include hand sanitiser stations for customers to use prior to handling products in the shop, as well as extra staff training to encourage better hygiene and social distancing within store.
Hey folks, it’s lookin’ like we’re gonna be reopening! Monday 15th June is the date – not sure of wot hours yet so keep watching this space…
— Probe Records (@ProbeRecords) June 9, 2020
From Monday collect in store will be available again as we tentatively make our first steps towards reopening.
For full details head to our Facebook page https://t.co/PdNTcy3W7Q#SupportLocal #Huddersfield #VinylTap #LoveRecordStores pic.twitter.com/5uMY7fZZPI
— Vinyl Tap Records (@vinyltaprecords) June 9, 2020
Restricted shop opening hours start on Monday 15th June. Please read all the information on our website’s news section if you are planning to visit us. We’re taking a cautious approach to re-opening. Thanks for all the support we have had during lockdown.https://t.co/dqjPw75gy0 pic.twitter.com/4b6zX1ePci
— Crash Records (@Crash_Records) June 9, 2020
In addition, HMV have created two new services to reduce the amount of time customers spend in store.
The first service, ‘List and Leave’, will allow customers to drop off a list of products they wish to purchase. Staff members will then pack those products up for customers to collect later that day.
The second service, ‘Ring and Reserve’, allows customers to phone their local store to provide a list of products they wish to purchase.
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Their ‘Click and Collect’ service will also be returning to the HMV website, providing customers with various options in purchasing from the store.
Staff will also recommend products that may be of interest to customers based on the list they provide, in a bid to maintain the impulse buying element that is a part of the high street experience.
All 92 HMV stores in England will be opening, including four Fopp stores, as well as the retailer’s Belfast branch. Stores in Scotland and Wales will remain closed in the meantime, as different COVID-19 rules are currently in place there.
Commenting on the big re-opening, HMV owner Doug Putman said: “Our teams have been working on plans to re-open since the day we had to close our doors. We’ve redesigned our store layouts so that customers can make their way through the stores, buy what they want and pay seamlessly, while [still providing]spaces for those who want to browse while maintaining social distancing”.
He added: “We’ve sought to keep as much of what people love about the HMV and Fopp experience intact and build on the experience whilst ensuring that customers can shop with us comfortably and confidently”.
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