HMV will open its first store in Ireland after almost a decade with a return to Henry Street in Dublin.
The new store will mark the opening of its first flagship outside the UK. The store is planned to be open by mid-July this year.
Although it has 120 shops across the UK at present, this is the first foray into Ireland for HMV under its new owners – Doug Putman’s Sunrise Records and will take up the 18 Henry Street address.
The 6,000 square foot space, let from Irish Life, will play host to three floors of the latest pop culture merchandise and become a destination for lovers of music and music technology. It will also offer performance spaces to create the city’s latest live music venue, hosting shows and signings from some of the country’s biggest artists, alongside global stars.
The announcement of a return to Dublin represents the latest sign of a dramatic turnaround of the HMV business under Canadian owner Doug Putman, who first took the reins in 2019. Under his tenure, the business has evolved its concept to centre on a fan and community-orientated offer. Under its previous owners, HMV was forced to finally shutter its last Irish stores in 2016.
Doug Putman said: “Our return to Ireland marks the culmination of the team’s hard work having established a new HMV shopping experience across the UK. We are now in a position to expand that concept into Europe.
“While fans will be able to get their hands on the latest and limited release vinyl and the hottest audio technology, truly indulging their love of music, they will also be able to express their passion for pop culture with ranges that can’t be found anywhere else in Dublin under one roof.
“We want Henry Street to become a home for a new community of fans to come together. What’s more, we hope that once we’ve got our feet back under the table in Ireland, further HMV shop openings will follow.”
Sarah Coyle, Irish Life Investment Manager, said: “We are delighted to partner with HMV on the opening of their new store and would like to welcome them back to Ireland. We are seeing very strong demand from tenants looking to locate in premier retail locations like 18 Henry Street, with footfall having bounced back strongly to pre-pandemic levels.”
HMV Dublin will offer fans a choice of over 15,000 different products and will include over 5,000 different vinyl albums and 5,500 different CDs. The shop will also stock over 3,000 pop culture products and 1,000 different t-shirt designs.
In the past year, HMV stores have welcomed artists such as Charli XCX, Stormzy, Shania Twain, Raye and Ellie Goulding for signings, and the Dublin shop is expected to draw names of similar quality. It’s also set to stage performances from up-and-coming acts through the HMV Live&Local programme which has been established to showcase local acts and give a platform for fresh talent.
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