HMV overtakes Amazon as vinyl sales up 170%

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HMV has claimed that it became the UK's no.1 retailer for physical entertainment products in the two weeks before Christmas, overtaking Amazon and accounting for one in three sales of CDs and DVDs.

The retailer also reported its highest vinyl sales since the mid-90s, with more than 350,000 units sold - an increase of 170% year-on-year.

CD sales were up 1.5%, while DVD and Blu-ray sales were 0.5% higher in the year to December 2014 compared to the previous year, claimed HMV.

HMV reported that total sales reached £365.7m in the year to December 2014, up from £311.2m between 29th January and 28th December 2013.

The retailer placed particular emphasis on Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, in addition to live in-store performances and signings from the likes of Take That and Kasabian (pictured above).

HMV ran in to trouble at the start of 2013, before it was bought by restructuring specialist, Hilco Capital - acquiring 132 HMV stores across the UK.

Hilco Capital chief executive Paul McGowan said: "HMV has captured more and more market share in a year when major new movie releases have been scarce and there have been only a few major album successes.

"With a bumper year of new releases already planned for 2015, we expect to have overall growth in like-for-like DVD and Blu-ray sales - as well as continued growth in the physical music sector with vinyl also expected to continue its revival."

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Joe Cox
Joe Cox
Content Director

Joe is the Content Director for What Hi-Fi? and Future’s Product Testing, having previously been the Global Editor-in-Chief of What Hi-Fi?. He has worked on What Hi-Fi? across the print magazine and website for almost 20 years, writing news, reviews and features on everything from turntables to TVs, headphones to hi-fi separates. He has covered product launch events across the world, from Apple to Technics, Sony and Samsung; reported from CES, the Bristol Show, and Munich High End for many years; and written for sites such as the BBC, Stuff, and the Guardian. In his spare time, he enjoys expanding his vinyl collection and cycling (not at the same time).