HMV Canada

HMV Canada
Limited company
Industry Retail
Founded 1988
Headquarters 5401 Eglinton Ave West, Toronto, Canada
Number of locations
 113 stores
Area served
 Canada
Products Books
Film
Television
Music
Technology
Merchandise
Cinema
Owner Hilco
Parent HMV
Website www.hmv.ca

HMV Canada is a retailer in Canada, owned by Hilco. The company was originally a subsidiary of HMV in the United Kingdom until it was sold to Hilco in 2011. Hilco has successfully restructured the company, and there are no plans to cease operations, despite rumours stating otherwise. [1] HMV Canada's head office is located in Etobicoke.

The Fairview Mall store

History

HMV Canada was established in 1988 by the purchase of the Mister Sound chain by EMI Music Canada. Stores in the country did not have rights to the "His Master's Voice" trademark, as it was owned by Technicolor SA and licensed out. HMV Canada's application for use of the trademark was abandoned in 2010.[2] Though the initials "HMV" originally came from the His Master's Voice trademark, HMV was not prevented from using its initials in Canada.

In 2005 HMV Canada took over a Virgin Megastore in Vancouver, allowing it to own, "Canada’s largest store dedicated to music and DVD".[3]

In the two decades to 2006 HMV was awarded "Canadian Music Retailer of the Year".[4]

In June 2010 HMV Canada launched purehmv, a customer rewards program that offered store discounts and exclusive items across music, film, and gaming in exchange for points gained in-store.[5] Over 300,000 customers joined the program in its first four months.[6]

In June 2011 HMV sold its Canadian stores for £2 million to Hilco UK, a firm specialising in retail restructuring.[7]

On 3 November 2011 HMV announced that the iconic flagship store in Downtown Vancouver would close in January 2012, that a smaller location would open in a different area of Downtown Vancouver at some time in the future, and that the location in Richmond Centre would be closed.[8]

As of 2012, HMV has 113 stores in Canada, down from 121 when it was sold by HMV Group. However, Hilco has also opened several new stores, such as the one in Peter Pond Mall in Fort McMurray. [9]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canadian-hmv-not-impacted-by-british-version-s-demise-1.1336912
  2. ↑ Canadian Intellectual Property Office
  3. ↑ HMV to Open Canada’s Largest Store Dedicated to Music & DVD. Marketnews.ca. 28 June 2005. Retrieved 13 September 2006.
  4. ↑ HMV Adds Gaming. Marketnews.ca. 28 August 2006. Retrieved 13 September 2006.
  5. ↑ "hmv gets customers closer to the stuff they love with new rewards program". newswire.ca. 14 June 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
  6. ↑ "More than 300,000 customers join HMV's customer loyalty program in first four months". paymentsbusiness.ca. 22 November 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
  7. ↑ Amanda Andrews; Matthew Holehouse (27 June 2011). "HMV confirms sale of stores in Canada for £2m". The Daily Telegraph (London).
  8. ↑ Music retailer HMV to close stores in January. Vancouver Sun.
  9. ↑ http://www.fortmcmurraytoday.com/2013/10/03/hmv-opens-in-peter-pond-mall

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to HMV in Canada.