Fopp is risen!

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 7:57 am

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6252300.stm

I've always loved this shop, often buying CDs there for a quid or two more than online on the day of release. heard the news in the pub last night but hoped it might be taking cash today, but it was all closed up. Very sad. I loved many things about their policy, and they always seemed to be doing good business in this town at least.

Post by **BlueChair** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 9:14 am

I loved the Fopp locations in Nottingham and Bath when Red and I were over there, and we were hoping to pay a visit to the one in Bath when we're there in August. I'm disappointed that we won't be able to.

Mechanical Grace · Post by **Mechanical Grace** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 1:09 pm

So sorry to hear this; I've heard you and other rave about it often, and I know how gutted I'd be if my beloved mini-chain, Newbury Comics, went under.

Bad Ambassador · Post by **Bad Ambassador** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 2:18 pm

Been following this story online since the 'stock take' closure, last Friday. Didn't look good at the time, and re-opening as cash only on Saturday 23rd was the moment where it became crystal clear. Really sad news. Didn't get back to the Nottingham shop before it closed - was going to go this weekend.
That said, I am slightly relieved as Fopp were going to open in the new shopping centre in Derby, which would have put my beloved 'Reveal Records' at risk.
Feel very sorry for the staff who aren't getting paid for their last month's work.

johnfoyle · Post by **johnfoyle** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 4:37 am

The Culture section of today's Sunday Times seems to have gone to press before last Friday -

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/ ... 995894.ece

(extract)

The Rough Trade plans also echo the strategies that have made Fopp a success. The chain, which started out as a Glasgow market stall in 1981, has 113 branches across the country, and has seen sales shoot up over the past six years. The company targets â€œ50quid manâ€

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 8:57 am

Bad timing! they were third largest after HMV and virgin. And so much nicer to visit. Â£50 man but also Â£10 alike could find solace there.

More on the closure here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fopp_(retailer)

Post by **BlueChair** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 12:15 pm

For what it's worth:

HMV to reopen six Fopp shops

Katie Allen
Tuesday July 31, 2007
Guardian Unlimited

Music chain HMV plans to buy six of the closed down Fopp stores as well as the retailer's brand following its collapse into administration last month.
HMV is acquiring stores that were still profitable and by picking up Fopp's intellectual property it will also be able to resurrect the chain's online store. While it awaits completion of the deal it will run a site under the name foppreturns.com.

The rescue of stores in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, Nottingham, Cambridge and London's Covent Garden leaves Fopp's administrators Ernst & Young with 75 more shops to sell off. They will not, however, be sold as going concerns, given that HMV has the rights to Fopp's brand and will run its six new stores under that name.

A spokesperson for HMV said retaining the 25-year-old brand would help preserve Fopp's "unique identity and trading culture."
"These stores will operate independently of the main HMV chain in order to preserve their distinct customer offer," the spokesperson said.

"Fopp is well regarded by many music and entertainment consumers, enjoying strong local awareness and appeal, and we're pleased that we will be able to preserve the brand and product offer through the stores and online."

HMV said it would be able to retain up to 70 Fopp jobs from a total workforce of 800 and that the stores will resume trading as soon as possible.

The news coincided with HMV's announcement that it had sold its Japan business for Â£70m to DSM Investments catorce Co, a special purpose company owned by a joint venture between Daiwa Securities Group and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group.

HMV had long said that it wanted to sell its chain of 62 Japanese stores and the hmv.co.jp website to focus on markets like the UK, where it has a leading position. In Japan, the HMV chain is the number three entertainment retailer in terms of market share.

The group's chief executive Simon Fox said the money raised would be used to pay down debts.

"Following recent consolidation in the market for entertainment retailing in Japan, and our review of the strategic options for HMV Japan, we have decided that this sale represents the best value for our shareholders," he said.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 3:47 pm

Great news (especially as Cambridge is listed). Doesn't surprise me that was one of the profitable ones - always packed at weekends with long queues at tills, and always with people buying in week too. I HMV have the good sense to keep pretty much as was, incl. the Â£5 backlist delights, I will make a point of shopping there rather than online.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 6:47 pm

Went to the reopened Cambridge Fopp for the first time today. Made me realise how much I'd missed it (including a dream wherein it reopened, but as a travesty of the original thing). They've kept it all as was, and even improved on it by having a sizeable Â£3 selection (from which I got Transformer, which I've lost the tape of I once had, so very happy, and also it contained the last two Moz LPs), but they also have a nice range of Â£4ers, as well as the familiar wealth of Â£5ers. I've been obsessing over Durutti Column a bit recently, and was thrilled to find they had various of the 'reissue + bonuses' of the original Factory releases at Â£5, so got one. I'll be going back very soon. It's funny how attached you can get to a shop - reconnects me with my youth, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the latest vinyl I'd ordered, much of which wouldn't ordinarily have been stocked in Jersey. the internet is a great invention, but give me a shop to love any day. What's more, the three volumes of Lloyd Cole at the BBC I recently got for Â£29 total from Action records were in stock for Â£28. I'll be straight down there in two weeks for the Joy Division reissues.

Bad Ambassador · Post by **Bad Ambassador** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 11:55 am

Yeah, but Action Records is run by lovely people and Fopp is run by HMV.
That said, I also spent a reasonable amount in the re-opened Nottingham store last week. Nice to have it back, but I suspect the novelty will wear off soon. Apparently it will be getting vinyl, which could keep me interested.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 1:04 pm

Actually Action pissed me off when I ordered the Fall BBC box set from them. They didn't quote the cost of p & p when I ordered, and it was pretty high. I mailed them to complain, and they didn't reply. Not great. Still, the Cole came quick and was only a fraction more. I wouldn't hold it against Fopp that HMV own them. Credit to HMV for having the intelligence to move in and save part of a dying beast - it raises them in my estimation. Especially as they've kept and even improved on the Fopp pricing policies.

If the vinyl + MP3 thing starts to take off here, I may find myself becoming a sucker for that too! Vinyl and no MP3 isn't enough (and I don't own an iPod or equivalent).

Bad Ambassador · Post by **Bad Ambassador** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 4:02 pm

Hmm. There are those who suggest that the Fopp purchase was at least partly about ensuring that the brand couldn't come back in its independent form to challenge HMV. My other concern is that they will start strong to show willing and then gradually tail off. I'm quite happy to be proved wrong on that one. My main gripe is that while I'm able to get these cheap CDs, HMV masquerading as an indie is still able to kill of the independent stores in the areas they've set up camp in. I can't speak for the Cambridge store, but the Nottingham shop still had all of the signs up claiming to be an independent record store which is far from true.
I don't have any real negativity towards the whole thing just yet - simply going for the OTT anti-corporate, indie-loving approach out of habit. I'll reserve judgement for another six months.

To be fair to Action, it does say on their site that they will calculate the most economical shipping charges for you, rather than simply smacking an amount on at the checkout.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 6:05 pm

And then their charges turn out to be pretty uneconomical and it's too late to say you'll go elsewhere! Though the shipping for my recent stash was fine. Actually, it may have been p & p free.