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HMV AND XTRA-VISION sold over 1 million CDs last year – nearly three times as many as it sold over the previous 12 months.
And vinyl sales were up even further, with the retailer reporting it sold 50,000 records in 2014, five times the number bought the previous year.
HMV’s global record sales in the lead-up to Christmas were the highest they had been since the mid-1990s.
The company today said its total Irish sales reached just over €95 million in the year to December and it accounted for nearly half of Ireland’s remaining CD market.
Part of the increase came with the rollout of HMV store-in-stores at Xtra-vision outlets and new premises being opened in Dublin, although like-for-like music sales were still up over 50% for the year.
A big turnaround
Both HMV and Xtra-vision were sold in 2013 to UK-based Hilco Capital, which specialises in turning around struggling businesses.
HMV had earlier gone into receivership and 300 staff lost their jobs as its 16 stores were forced to close.
But since then the re-launched company has reopened on Dublin’s Grafton Street and pushed out a string of outlets running under both brands.
Not so good for films
Only film sales took a small hit last year, although the company said it increased its market share and now accounted for 60% of the Irish DVD and BluRay market.
Xtra-vision film rentals plunged as it introduced monthly rental passes and a bigger share of customers decided to buy movies outright.
HMV and Xtra-vision chief executive Gerry Butler said putting music stores in movie-rental outlets had made CDs and vinyl available again in areas where there had previously been no retailers.
Hilco Capital chief executive Paul McGowan said the company had done well in year with few major movie releases or album successes, but he expected things to improve further in 2015.
I am particularly pleased with the impact of the many live gigs and album signing events across the country with HMV bringing over 200 bands directly to market last year culminating in May when eight of the top 20 albums were Irish artists,” he said.
The company didn’t reveal any details of gains or losses with its sales results, although HMV’s most recent accounts, for the 8 months to the end of 2013, stated an operating profit of €1 million on a turnover of only €9.7 million.
Originally published at 9.20am
Like his sabre rattling about cutting water water down to a trickle. Good man Phil
@Padraic O Sullivan: dont forget the septic tank charge that he forced people to pay with the fear of fines.
Yeah we all can trust in Big Pig Phil Hogan .. his honesty is there for all to see in his track record ..
@Gowon Geter: hes still right though
@Gowon Geter: Indeed, the only possibilities are that he’s right or he’s wrong. But if he’s wrong what has he gambled and lost, remember it’s not just the US who have concerns about this.
@Paul Furey: Only on Huawei
@Arch Angel: ha and if the americans had the better technology for 5G network deployment do you seriously think could we trust them more ? I can recommend a few documentaries you might want to watch…….. -start with Citizen Four…….
@Dave Hammond: Yes, actually we can trust them more. The US is still a country bound by laws that make it very difficult for them to just disappear dissenters. There are no such protections in China, you can disappear out of prison and never be seen or heard from again and there’s a lot of evidence out there to say one of the ways they do this is they carve you up for your organs to sell on. So Dave, sometimes it really is a case of better the devil you know.
Huawei has a 5G infrastructure build monopoly and the Americans dont. The yanks don’t like this.
@Paul Furey: Exactly and they don’t have secret deals with them to allow NSA/CIA back-door access to their phones and infrastructure
@Gowon Geter: No, they’ll just allow that access to the Chinese govt. And no need for any ‘secret deal’.
@Emmet Purcell: just because you are not paranoid doesn’t mean they are not to get you…;-)
Question: “Any chance the Yankees might keep said Ex water Phil and not let it back????.
Phil knows a Lie when he sees one
Haha the US now will show its true colors with the UK now that they are out…..they will throw them a bone and get a one sided trade deal because the UK are desperate……never a good place to be when trying to get a good deal lol.
@Peter Hughes: Yeah sure no countries outside the EU ever have trade deals
@Gowon Geter: You really don’t get it do you….let me explain. The UK has just left their biggest trade partner who counts for up to 50 percent exports.
Now anyone with a modicum of brain power will see the UK needs to replace this and do it fast they are for want of a better word desperate, so any country will have massive leverage in any negotiations……its really not rocket science, but to the average genius that voted for Brexit these details seemed to have gone way over their head lol
@Gowon Geter: I’m pretty sure that’s not what he said. In fact, the entire premise of his comment is exactly that countries outside the EU have trade deals. It’s just that the UK have put themselves in a position whereby their position will be weaker in terms of negotiating a trade deal precisely because they will be desperate to get one.
@Peter Hughes: Get what Peter ? Who made you expert on anything, do you have a crystal ball that tells you the future ? ..
When the UK refused to join the Euro people made all the claims of the UK downfall and they ended up being the Financial Powerhouse of the World with London processing 80% of trades.
People who voted for Brexit don’t care about what reason you may think the voted for Brexit nor care for your superior intellect and calling them names. The main reason mots people in the UK voted for Brexit was immigration control, plain and simple, they don’t care about market Forces / Economics and fair play to them, maybe all countries shoudl start thinking about people first not economics.
@Brian Ó Dálaigh: Of which I am sure they are well aware , so what your point ?
@Brian Ó Dálaigh: A few simple deals with China/Asia and the US is all they need, its the Asian markets that are ones that are the future while the EU is not
@Gowon Geter: Comical…..this is the simplistic nonsense that will see a severe reality check in the coming years.
@Gowon Geter: The irony is the EU allows for intra European immigration control, but the UK (and Ireland) chose not to enforce these controls. Try and move to Spain and see what happens. There is a registration system and to register you have to be able to prove you can support yourself via a job , a pension or another income. Additionally you also have to have access to healthcare either via social security contributions or have private healthcare. The UK can have exactly the same procedure but won’t. Any ideas why?
@Gowon Geter: the point is that you implied that he said no trade deals occur outside the EU when his comment was actually based on the very fact that they do occur outside the EU.
@Gowon Geter: hmm , You think that China which has to manage it’s own billion people are where the UK are going to turn to replace their imports which stand at 40bn in german goods , 30bn in french 33bn in dutch , 30bn in Irish , 25bn Swiss , 18bn belgian , 14bn italy , 14bn spain etc etc – ya really think that instead of Spanish oranges , French Wine , Italian goods etc that the Brits really just need to do a few ‘simple deals’ to replace that – wow you are so misguided or f***ing deluded it aint worth trying to have sensible discussion on the subject with ya.
@Peter Hughes: You’re an embarrassing fool.
@Peter Hughes:
Trade agreements that have been signed
Agreements with the following countries and trading blocs will take effect when the UK leaves the EU:
Andean countries
CARIFORUM trade bloc
Central America
Chile
Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) trade bloc
Faroe Islands
Georgia
Iceland and Norway
Israel
Jordan
Kosovo
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Morocco
Pacific states
Palestinian Authority
Southern Africa Customs Union and Mozambique (SACUM) trade bloc
South Korea
Switzerland
Tunisia
Mutual recognition agreements
Australia, New Zealand and United States have signed mutual recognition agreements.
Discussions with Japan on a UK-Japan MRA are ongoing. The UK and Japan have signed an exchange of letters designed to ensure the continuity of existing arrangements as a temporary measure.
I’m sure the United States are quaking in their boots with recent threats from Hulk.
When the Irish Economy was on its knees in 2008 a had a conversation with a Japanese buisnessman about our situation. I’ll always remember what he said. A country the size of ireland only needs 2 or 3 good deals to get back into the black. Unfortunately the imbeciles in power showed thier weakness and opened the flood gates to every vulture and sacavanger to come in and rape and plunder every asset let behind.
Met Chuck Grassley, the only senator to vote against the Visa program for Irish immigrants.
How come the likes of hogan and Murphy mess up in the Dail and are heroes when they are in Europe are we missing something it must be their Irish charm.
Bit like himself , the ignorant oaf.
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