Entertainment business HMV is expanding into fashion for gig-goers. The multichannel retailer will sell clothes and accessories in stores from tomorrow and with plans to take them online in the future.
HMV, primarily known for selling music, DVDs and games, is now to sell fashion brands including Lee Jeans, Boxfresh, and Eastpak.
Men’s clothing will be at the heart of the new range, which will initially be stocked in a new The Studio department, which will have a presence in 38 larger HMV stores from Oxford Street to Dublin, Cardiff and Glasgow. A limited range will also be carried in smaller stores.
The company, which has not yet set a date for the collection to be offered online, at hmv.com, says the new range is primarily aimed at giving a younger music fan and gig-going audience the chance to buy the latest street fashions.
Richard Stockwell, fashion manager at HMV, said: “Music and fashion can be a perfect fit for HMV, not least because they overlap and influence each other so strongly these days.
“And of course we also now own a number of music venues and festivals in addition to our stores, so our brand is even more uniquely placed to create a compelling retail offer to our customers.”
He added: “Now they can check out and buy the latest street fashions at the same time they come in to make their music and entertainment purchases.”
Matt Winton, international marketing executive for Boxfresh, said: “HMV is a great tie-in for us as music is so intrinsic to the success and appeal of both brands. Boxfresh has been collaborating with Kano – a key artist for us, throughout 2010, and this has culminated in Kano’s album releasing around the same time as the Boxfresh launch within HMV’s new-look fashion department. What better way to celebrate this exciting new relationship than through an intimate instore performance by Kano?”
