HMV UK in Administration

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digitalbabe

Premium Supporter
Apr 12, 2009
42,351
USA
E-mail sent 1/29/2013:

"
Dear Sir / Madam,

HMV UK Limited (In Administration) (the “Company")

Further to your email, I write to confirm that after an assessment of the Company's financial position, internet orders that have been fully paid for prior to the Company entering into administration will be delivered over the next five working days. Internet orders that have not been paid for will be cancelled and a notification of this cancellation will be sent by e-mail over the next 48 hours.

Should you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact the e-mail address above.

Yours faithfully
For and on behalf of the Company

M S Watson
For R J Harding
Joint Administrator
"


Hilco takes control of HMV-thanks snoo

Link


Former web customer service address was: [email protected]

Phone:

Customer Service: 0207 303 0700

*Multiple members have stated that HMV has said that all pre-orders have been cancelled.

0845 603 8576 (local rate call)
020 8495 4434

Message posted at HMV site:



hmv.jpg


seen elsewhere via web but thanks to Our members for posting.

"Cross Sale on CD’s, DVD’s, Blu-rays, box sets and games across 230 stores and online comes just weeks after the traditional Boxing Day sale.

Last month the company admitted it is likely to breach its banking covenant - throwing the entertainment retailer's financial future into doubt.

A failure to fulfil lending requirements often signals a company is close to administration, retail analyst Robert Clark told Sky News.

"A lot becomes clear after Christmas - the sale suggests that they didn't have a good one and are trying to reel in as much cash to tie things over," he said.

"I’m not sure how much time they’ve got. I don’t think they’ll be able to sway their bankers. Financial institutions are less likely to show patience in this climate."

But HMV’s chief executive Trevor Moore said in December that closing more stores or placing the business into administration was not "part of our plan" and that the firm was in "constructive discussions" with banks about its performance.

HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo told Sky News the Blue Cross Sale was not unusual for this time of year.

"Normally we'd look to run a multi-buy campaign of some kind at this time of year, but we thought we'd freshen our promotional mix up a bit and try something a bit different that will hopefully stand out from all the other sale offers on the high street right now," he said.

The retailer has taken a huge hit in the face of competition from online retailers like Amazon and Play.

But analysts argue that HMV has failed to reinvent itself in the last 15 years and invest in its stores to keep up with the modern technology revolution.

In December, despite numerous promotions,it announced total sales had fallen 13.5%, while like-for-like sales were down 10.2% in the six months to October 27.

HMV reported a loss before tax of £37.3m - an improvement on the £48.1m loss over the same period the year before. But net debt at the 91 year-old company increased from £163.7m to £176.1m.-bank-deadline."


:::: Digitalbabe ::::

Staff: Community Manager
Hidefninja.com

From LV-426 on iPhone
 
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All HMV's mail order operations used to be run from Guersey until last year when the ending of LVCR forced them to close the facility and relocate to the mainland (with many job losses in the process). I don't know the exact nature of the company structure, but the website is very much part and parcel of UK operations and draws from stock in a UK warehouse, which is why I think it's also now also under administration. If HMV.com was a different company and unaffected one assumes it wouldn't have been shut down?
 
According to the uk press today there are some very interested backers who may look into buying out hmv including the company that run hmv canada, hilco maybe a buy out will happen and save hmv?
 
this is what a man did in dublin when hmv refused to take his gift voucher

Irish grandfather defies HMV voucher policy

By Denise Roland | Telegraph

An irate grandfather took three computer games from a Dublin HMV store after staff at the collapsed retailer refused to accept a gift voucher.

Irishman Eric Nolan bought his grandson a €40 (£33.21) HMV gift voucher for Christmas and was dismayed to learn the stricken chain, which went into administration on Monday, would no longer be honouring them .

He and grandson Cian walked out of the store in Henry Street, Dublin, with computer games worth €46.80 after a failed attempt to exchange the invalid vouchers for the goods, according to reports by the Irish Independent .

Security guards, who did not restrain the pair, nonetheless followed them part-way down the city centre street in an attempt to persuade them to return the trio of computer games: Euro Truck Simulator 2, The Sims 3 Town Life and Rail Simulator.

Mr Nolan told the Irish Independent he planned on posting the voucher and outstanding €6.80 to the outlet.

"Somebody has made a conscious decision not to pay out on vouchers and it's despicable," he told the newspaper.

"We are a nation of sheep - but I was determined to win this. HMV have taken hundreds of thousands of euro from the Irish people this Christmas and we shouldn't put up with it."
 
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I spoke to a member of their CS team this morning, as I wanted to cancel my pre-orders just to be on the safe side. Had a good chat with them and they said that they couldn't charge a pre-order unless it had been shipped, so there was no danger of any being charged unless they had stock, at which point stock would be sent to you anyway.

I told them I was cancelling just in case, but if their site appeared again with their exclusive steels that I would place my orders with them rather than Amazon.

Obviously they are uncertain as to what exactly is going to happen but needless to say I felt quite sorry for them having to go through all this.

So it is up to you whether you want to cancel or not based on that info. They are answering the phones if you want to cancel so you definitely have that option. Just remember they are going through all this too, and worse. I didn't distrust anything they said but the sheer volume I had on pre-order (steels and other) meant that I wanted to be safe rather than take a chance.

Its funny even with the higher price at amazon on the Looper steelbook I am paying less than through HMV, since HMV didn't remove the VAT and Amazon does that took some pounds off (pun intended :p) and because it got combibned with my warner wave the shipping costs equaled out to less than the total when I was buying from HMV.

Its sad these workers might lose their jobs but we just had our own round of tax increases in the states so for me every little bit helps. Though I can see where a lot ofUK native customers would be upset as they don't lose the VAT and Amazon is growing a monopoly and has the looper steelbook for a higher base cost. Though they may lower it for the first week, who knows.
 
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Looks like my local store is shutting up shop on the 23rd. Didnt seem busy today, but the shelves were starting to empty.

Picked up my last possible purchase, Batman the Animated Series Vol 1 for £7.50. Hope it wasnt cheaper on Amazon, lol.
 
A post within a different thread reported all preorders have been cancelled and this was confirmed over the telephone.
Can anyone back this up?

If so was it in-store, online or both?
 
i wonder if the website has gone, as they intend to just try to clear the stock from the shelves in stores.
i imagine no new stock will be aquired for now, i guess we will know for sure come monday, if they have any new release titles.
im gonna leave my pre-orders in, in hope that they ship.
if not, and they still charge my card, then either i can claim back from my cc company, or just take the hit.
i will still have lost a lot less than all the poor staff who may lose thier jobs.
 
According to the uk press today there are some very interested backers who may look into buying out hmv including the company that run hmv canada, hilco maybe a buy out will happen and save hmv?

Actually HMV Canada (which is owned separately from HMV Group) is expanding here!!! Hilco bought the Canadian part of the business about a couple years back for around $3.25mil I believe. There planning on opening up more stores in Canada in 2013 after sales reporting from Christmas exceeded targets. So its possible Hilco might buy out the HMV Group after things shake out and keep it alive but then again I dont know much about Hilco as a company and wether they have the buying power to acquire the HMV Group as its one thing to buy a small portion for $3.25mil. and another entirely to take on a giant like the HMV Group.
 
Actually HMV Canada (which is owned separately from HMV Group) is expanding here!!! Hilco bought the Canadian part of the business about a couple years back for around $3.25mil I believe. There planning on opening up more stores in Canada in 2013 after sales reporting from Christmas exceeded targets. So its possible Hilco might buy out the HMV Group after things shake out and keep it alive but then again I dont know much about Hilco as a company and wether they have the buying power to acquire the HMV Group as its one thing to buy a small portion for $3.25mil. and another entirely to take on a giant like the HMV Group.

Hopefully they can do a deal and save HMV UK then :D
 
Hopefully they can do a deal and save HMV UK then :D

It's unlikely. At least not in anything like its current form.

The problem is that HMV has debts of £176m EEK! That's a lot of debt for anybody to take on. The business model on which the company is based is also unworkable.

I think what's most likely is that a new company will emerge, much smaller than before, with only a few key stores and an online presence. Everything else will be sold off.

Not perhaps the end of HMV entirely, but certainly the end of HMV as we know it.
 
Well I'm gonna leave my pre-orders there and just see what happens. I'm not expecting them to be shipped, but you never know
 
It's unlikely. At least not in anything like its current form.

The problem is that HMV has debts of £176m EEK! That's a lot of debt for anybody to take on. The business model on which the company is based is also unworkable.

I think what's most likely is that a new company will emerge, much smaller than before, with only a few key stores and an online presence. Everything else will be sold off.

Not perhaps the end of HMV entirely, but certainly the end of HMV as we know it.

If anything someone will take the HMV group over and wipe the debts and just continue to trade online
 
If anything someone will take the HMV group over and wipe the debts and just continue to trade online


Yep, that's what will happen.
It's the administrators job to take the best offer available, financially and ethically. If there are interested parties, well then it is great news.
 
having just spoke to a lady at customers services she has said that they are in the process of canceling all pre-orders. i really feel for all the staff at hmv
 
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