HMV Canada

HMV Canada Ltd.
Limited company
Industry Retail
Founded 1988
Headquarters 5401 Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto, Canada
Number of locations
113 stores
Area served
Canada
Key people
Nick Williams, President and CEO
Products Books
Film
Television
Music
Technology
Merchandise
Cinema
Owner Hilco
Parent HMV (1988–2012)
Website www.hmv.ca

HMV Canada Ltd. 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
The Promenade 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 some radio and television commercials in the 1990s, HMV Canada used "HMV" as an acronym for "hot music values".

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

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