khay 10 Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 Quote Sir Richard Branson has sold his UK chain of Virgin record stores to a group of senior staff at the business. The deal, whose value has not been disclosed, will see Virgin's 125 UK and Irish Megastores rebranded as Zavvi. The business will continue to be run by the current management team headed by managing director Simon Douglas. High Street music retailers have been fighting for their survival as CD sales have been dramatically supplanted by digital music downloads. 'New brand' HMV has suffered a sharp fall in sales while a number of smaller firms, including MVC, Music Zone and Fopp, have collapsed. The deal ends Sir Richard Branson's 30-year involvement with High Street music retailing. Earlier this year, he disposed of Virgin's US record stores. "In the last six years we have been withdrawing from entertainment retailing which is no longer viewed as core to the group's future," Sir Richard said. No details have been given of who is financing the management buyout. The management team said it believed the business, which employs 2,500 staff, had a bright future despite the general music malaise on the High Street. "We will deliver a new brand that lives and breathes entertainment and delivers high quality enthusiastic service to existing and new customers," Mr Douglas said. BBC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 71 Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 khay said: Quote Sir Richard Branson has sold his UK chain of Virgin record stores to a group of senior staff at the business. The deal, whose value has not been disclosed, will see Virgin's 125 UK and Irish Megastores rebranded as Zavvi. The business will continue to be run by the current management team headed by managing director Simon Douglas. High Street music retailers have been fighting for their survival as CD sales have been dramatically supplanted by digital music downloads. 'New brand' HMV has suffered a sharp fall in sales while a number of smaller firms, including MVC, Music Zone and Fopp, have collapsed. The deal ends Sir Richard Branson's 30-year involvement with High Street music retailing. Earlier this year, he disposed of Virgin's US record stores. "In the last six years we have been withdrawing from entertainment retailing which is no longer viewed as core to the group's future," Sir Richard said. No details have been given of who is financing the management buyout. The management team said it believed the business, which employs 2,500 staff, had a bright future despite the general music malaise on the High Street. "We will deliver a new brand that lives and breathes entertainment and delivers high quality enthusiastic service to existing and new customers," Mr Douglas said. BBC. Ricky getting out at the right time imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChezGiven 0 Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 (edited) Thats why businesses diversify, to protect themselves from unforseen changes like digital downloading. He used to own Volume records in town didnt he? One of his first shops or something. Edited September 17, 2007 by ChezGiven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now