HMV Oxford Street flagship store reopens four years after closing

HMV's flagship record store has been reopened by pop band Madness on Oxford Street following a four-year hiatus.

The century-old music chain closed its main London branch in 2019 after going into administration. It was then taken over by Sunrise Records.

The company said its return was due to a "dramatic turnaround", with HMV returning to profit in 2022.

Owner Doug Putman said the reopening would lead to HMV "once again becoming a mainstay on the UK High Street".

The store at 363 Oxford Street opened its doors to the public at 11:30 GMT.

It had first appeared on London's iconic shopping street in 1921.

Mr Putman said the reopening had "been a long time coming".

"The team has spent a lot of time on this... countless hours," he told BBC Radio London.

"In 2019 I wasn't able to take on the store when I took on the chain, so this is our first time coming back at Oxford Street since I've owned it.

"I walked here as a customer in 2015 when I first visited London and I just kept thinking 'man, I don't know who owns this, but this is pretty amazing'.

"And now to be here and to be a part of it is just unbelievable."

He said the store has a floor dedicated to a live stage, with individual floors for vinyl, pop culture and DVDs.

Belinda Powell, 37, said she was at the store for its Friday opening "because it's such an iconic venue".

"When I heard it was closing down I was really upset," she told BBC Radio London.

Scott Peters, 32, said he came down to London from Birmingham to see Madness open the store - and will return home for work later today.

"It's nice to see people buying physical, instead of streaming," he added.

London-based singer Baby Queen, who is originally from South Africa, was at the event signing posters.

Over the years, the store had burned to the ground and was rebuilt; it became an air raid shelter in World War Two and in 1962 became the location for the Beatles recording said to launch their career - an acetate disc of Hello Little Girl and Till There was You.

Artists as varied as Edward Elgar, Dolly Parton and Goldie Lookin Chain had appeared there since its original opening.

Geoff Barraclough, Westminster City Council's cabinet member for planning, said he was excited to welcome the store back to its "historic home", replacing one of the street's "largest American candy stores".

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