HMV has said that its Harrogate store is unlikely to be affected by a series of site closures announced earlier today.
The music retailer, which reported that its Christmas sales were down by 10 per cent, will close 60 UK stores this year following disappointing trading figures.
But Gennaro Castaldo of HMV told Harrogate News that the town was not on the hit list.
“We are actually talking about a relatively small number of stores across HMV and Waterstone’s chains – less than 10% of our combined estates,” he said.
“These are likely to be located primarily in large-city conurbations and may be in close proximity to each other – thus resulting in a degree of duplication in relation to local demand, which is not really the case in Harrogate.”
He said the vast majority of HMV stores around the country would be unaffected and staff would be redeployed where possible.
“This move in no way signals any intention to pull out of entertainment retail, which remains at the heart of our offer, and is ultimately aimed at safeguarding our core business as we continue our transformation into a broad-based entertainment brand that now also encompasses live music venues and festivals,” he added.
