What HMV Group does

HMV Group (legally Sunrise Records and Entertainment Limited, owned by Doug Putman) is a UK-headquartered specialist entertainment retailer founded in 1921 and operating under the HMV and Fopp brands. The company sells physical and digital entertainment products across seven categories: music (vinyl, CDs, cassettes), film and TV (4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD), technology (turntables, headphones, speakers), books, pop culture (Funko Pop!, trading cards, collectibles), branded clothing, and video games. Distribution runs through 100+ UK physical stores and the hmv.com e-commerce platform, with international shipping to France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Ireland, complemented by the hmvLive in-store event programme for artist signings and album launches.

The technology stack centres on a Kentico CMS e-commerce platform with product catalogue management, shopping cart, and order processing, supported by an analytics and personalisation layer integrating Bloomreach, Exponea, Google Analytics, Hotjar, Microsoft Clarity, Klarna payments, Zendesk chat, and UNiDAYS student verification. The business model is straightforward B2C unit-based retail pricing with multibuy promotions (e.g., '3 vinyl for £66', '2 CDs for £22'), a 10% UNiDAYS student discount, and Klarna Pay-in-3 installments. A central commercial lever is the exclusive/limited edition product strategy — hmv-exclusive coloured vinyl, signed editions, SteelBook 4K releases — supplemented by event-driven footfall through flagship hmvLive venues (Oxford Street, Birmingham Vault, Newcastle).

The company has no public listing, no disclosed institutional investors, and no recent funding rounds. Headcount sits in the 1,001-5,000 band consistent with a 100+ store UK retail operation and central London HQ. Following administration in 2018 and subsequent restructuring under current ownership, HMV has pursued a turnaround strategy evidenced by selective new-store openings (e.g., Chelmsford, June 2026) and aggressive exclusive release cadence through 2026.

Name

HMV Group

Legal name

Sunrise Records and Entertainment Limited

Website

http://www.hmv.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

HMV Group is a UK specialist entertainment retailer (founded 1921) selling physical music, film, TV, technology, books, pop culture, clothing, and games through 100+ HMV and Fopp stores and the hmv.com e-commerce platform, serving general consumers across the UK and select European markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entertainment Retail

NAICS

Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Download Stores & Digital Music Retail (Transactional) (MPAIACAM)

Keywords

• Entertainment retail
• Physical music media
• Vinyl records
• Film home video
• Pop culture merchandise

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Physical and Digital Product Sales: HMV generates revenue primarily through direct sales of physical entertainment products including music (vinyl, CDs, cassettes), films (4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD), video games, technology products (turntables, headphones, speakers), books, pop culture merchandise, and apparel. Online sales ship internationally while in-store purchases occur at retail locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

HMV Group operates a multi-category physical entertainment retail business in the United Kingdom and Ireland, selling music on vinyl, CD and cassette, films and TV on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD, video games, audio technology such as turntables and headphones, books, pop culture collectibles, and branded clothing. Products are sold through over 100 HMV and Fopp branded high-street stores and the hmv.com e-commerce site, with a curated emphasis on exclusive, limited-edition, signed and collector-oriented editions. The company also runs hmvLive, an in-store artist events programme at flagship venues, and supplies internationally via its online storefront.

Product overview

HMV Group operates a multi-category entertainment retail platform centered on physical media and pop culture merchandise. The core offering comprises an online store (hmv.com) with physical retail locations across the UK. The product portfolio spans seven primary categories: Music (vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, box sets), Film & TV (4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD), Technology (turntables, headphones, speakers, audio accessories), Books (hardbacks, graphic novels, manga), Pop Culture (Funko Pop! Vinyl, trading cards, collectibles), Clothing (band and franchise merchandise), and Games (video game software and hardware). The hmvLIVE service provides in-store artist events and signings. The business operates under the hmv and Fopp brands, with over 100 stores across the UK. E-commerce features include Klarna payment integration, UNiDAYS student discount, international shipping, and a 30-day returns policy. The company emphasizes exclusive and limited-edition products including coloured vinyl, exclusive SteelBooks, and signed releases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fopp: Music and entertainment retail chain operated by HMV Group

Products and services

• Music Store (Vinyl, CDs, Cassettes, Box Sets) Comprehensive music retail range including new release vinyl LPs, CD albums, cassettes, multi-disc box sets, signed editions, coloured vinyl, picture discs, reissues, pre-orders, and music merchandise targeted at music fans and collectors.
• Film & TV Store (4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD)

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of 'Excellent' ratings on Trustpilot

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration13 records

AI capability5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• UNiDAYScoreGTM or Marketing PartnerStudent discount partnership providing 10% off full price products to verified students. UNiDAYS is a student discount verification platform that HMV uses to target the student demographic segment.
• KlarnacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPayment services partnership allowing customers to split purchases into three interest-free monthly payments. Klarna cookies facilitate secure payment transactions on the hmv.com platform.
• BloomreachcoreTechnology or IntegrationAI-powered marketing automation and personalization platform partnership. Bloomreach enables HMV's marketing workflows with autonomous task execution, real-time customer segmentation, and campaign optimization capabilities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Zavvi: UK-based specialist entertainment retailer selling physical music, films, video games, and pop culture merchandise. Directly comparable to HMV in product mix (vinyl, CDs, Blu-ray, games, collectibles), target customer (collectors and entertainment enthusiasts), and omnichannel model (online plus remaining high street presence).
• Rough Trade: UK music specialist retailer operating physical stores (Notting Hill, Liverpool, Brooklyn) and a comprehensive vinyl, CD, and music merchandise e-commerce platform. Closely comparable to HMV's music-first retail proposition, vinyl collector focus, and event-driven store experience.
• Game (GameStop UK): UK specialist video games and entertainment retailer operating 200+ physical stores and e-commerce. Directly comparable on the video games, consoles, and pop culture merchandise categories, sharing HMV's high-street entertainment-retail footprint and collector-focused product mix.
• CEX: UK second-hand entertainment retailer operating 300+ physical stores and a large e-commerce platform for used games, phones, and entertainment media. Comparable to HMV in physical entertainment retail footprint and target customer base, though differentiated by second-hand versus new product focus.
• The Works: UK value retailer operating 500+ physical stores selling books, toys, games, and stationery at discount prices. Comparable to HMV on physical UK high-street presence, books/games/pop culture product mix, and value-driven multibuy pricing strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Waterstones: UK's largest specialist bookseller operating 300+ physical stores plus e-commerce, with growing ranges in vinyl, games, and stationery. Comparable to HMV as a UK high street specialist retailer with curated physical product mix, omnichannel presence, and emphasis on in-store experience and exclusive editions.
• Currys: UK's largest consumer electronics retailer with high-street stores and e-commerce, selling turntables, headphones, speakers, and home entertainment products. Overlaps with HMV's Technology category and competes for the same audio equipment customer spend.
• Amazon UK: Dominant general e-commerce platform selling CDs, vinyl, Blu-ray, video games, books, and consumer electronics. Represents HMV's largest competitive threat via scale, pricing, and delivery network, even though Amazon is not a specialist entertainment retailer.

Regional players

• JB Hi-Fi: Australia and New Zealand's leading specialist entertainment and consumer electronics retailer with 300+ stores. Closely comparable to HMV on product categories (vinyl, music, films, games, headphones, turntables) and omnichannel model, though operating in ANZ rather than UK/Ireland.
• FYE (Trans World Entertainment): US-based specialty entertainment retailer operating stores selling music, movies, video games, and pop culture merchandise. Closely comparable to HMV's specialist entertainment-retail model though operating exclusively in North America rather than UK/Ireland.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/hmv
• Xx.com/hmvtweets
• Facebookfacebook.com/hmv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/9582

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HMV Group