hmv have confirmed the reopening of 93 stores as lockdown measures begin to ease.
Following the news that record stores – and other non-essential shops – will be allowed to reopen next Monday, hmv have confirmed that they'll be opening 93 stores, including their entire store base in England, and stores in Belfast (tighter restrictions are still in place in Scotland and Wales).
“Thank you all for your continued support over the last few months,” reads their statement. “Following the Government guidance we are excited to announce that a selection of our stores will be reopening from June 15!
“We will be following the government COVID secure guidelines with reduced store hours to make sure you, our loyal customers and our colleagues are kept safe.
“While not quite business as usual we are very much looking forward to welcoming you back through our doors.”
According to Music Week, the music and film retailer will be employing a number of coronavirus prevention methods in their shops now, with less customers allowed in at any one time, social distancing to be followed in-store, the use of screens at tills, and “compulsory use of hand sanitiser during vinyl browsing”. hmv will also be implementing “Ring and Reserve” and “List and Leave” services to help with the reopening.
“Our teams have been working on plans to reopen since the day we had to close our doors,” says owner Doug Putman. “We’ve redesigned our store layouts so that customers can make their way through the stores, buy what they want and pay seamlessly, while maintaining spaces for those who want to browse while maintaining social distancing.
“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.”
The manager of the the hmv Vault in Birmingham – the world's largest hmv – Stuart Smith adds, “We’re really looking forward to welcoming our customers back into stores. We’ve been through intensive training over the last few weeks to ensure that staff members are fully supported in returning to stores and that customers have the best possible experience.”
Head here to see which hmv stores will be reopening next week.
Read this: 20 albums that changed how we think forever
