HMV clothing

HMV is in talks with apparel retailers and brands - including Topman - with an aim to offer more clothes in store. Their existing clothing lines include film/tv/music-related t-shirts and hoodies which sell extremely well. At their Oxford Street flagship store, the singles and reggae sections have been downsized to make room for more apparel and apparel displays.
Should Topman confirm a contract with HMV, it would put them in direct competition with themselves: they have recently teamed up with iconic music retailer Rough Trade with plans to sell CDs in-store come September. 

Innovation Showcase: Part 1

My favourite and personally highly anticipated discussion was to be given by John Ryan (Stores Editor for 'Retail Week') and Lorna Hall (Senior Retail Editor for WGSN). 

I had used the WGSN website before to research upcoming trends for this Spring Summer when I did a placement within a M&S buying team last summer. 

John Ryan went straight into looking at examples of great, creative shop floors. There were so many examples but here is one particular one and I shall add more when I have time:

Rough Trade East

With a free WiFi lounge and a cafe at the front (with somewhat uncomfortable looking chairs), it is clear that the record store staff want you to stick around. The store opened in 2008and is situated in the trendy part of the east end, off Brick Lane, near Spitalfields. 

As you might imagine the interior tries to emulate the alternative or underground music scenes with an edgy black and white theme; the rough beaming and pipes kept on view as well as the exposed strip lighting. As with any music store with "indie" credibility, the vinyl collection is extensive. The staff are extremely knowledgeable and complete the service package by writing up their own personal summaries of the records.

A must for any musical connoisseur.