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11 Comments

news

Toronto Remains a Virgin Virgin

By Joshua Errett

virginmegastore.gifThe typical reaction to the opening of another megastore (ie. “Not another megastore!”) should be muted for this news:

HMV Canada Inc, Canada’s leading music retailer and fastest-growing DVD chain, announces today that it will open the country’s largest store dedicated to music and DVD, on the site currently occupied by Virgin Megastore in Vancouver, B.C.. As a result, Virgin’s only Canadian Virgin Megastore, located on Vancouver’s Burrard Street, will cease from trading under the Virgin brand name on September 4th, 2005. as Virgin Entertainment Group has decided to withdraw from the Canadian marketplace to enable resources to be fully focused on its retail business in the United States.

With HMV selling titles for as much as $28.99, the competition from a Toronto Virgin store would have been welcome. Our independent music labels – or those looking for mainstream success – are being stifled by HMV’s sometimes hardball tactics. In protest, Torontoist urges readers to pronounce HMV phonetically, like hhhummmv-ah. This will be code for “I don’t shop there.”

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Comments

  • Bono

    2 for $25 = Scissor Sisters, U2 at Slane DVD
    Annie CD = $7 cheaper than at Music World (still 19.99 though)
    2 for $22 = Mystic Pizza and Benny and Joon
    Need I say more, mon ami?

  • Alison

    Not a fan of the big chains, but even I can’t argue with 3 classic Woody Allen flicks for $20!

  • Josh

    strange to see a card-carrying conservative back a virtual monopoly. shouldn’t we encourage competition and discourage benny and joon?

  • Bono

    I don’t think the presence of a Virgin store in Vancouver would really help the Oligopoly (Music World is still hanging on) in Canada. Virgin was in Toronto a long time ago, when I was a boy, and prices were still considered high then.
    Plus, in Canada we enjoy amongst the world’s cheapest CD’s already – so I think we should stand up and thank HMV for this.

  • http://pageblank.blogspot.com pageblank

    Uhhh…no, we should not thank HMV (I already pronounce it Hmmmmmm-vah). Why are CDs at the Yonge superstore regularly C$5-7 more expensive than at Sam’s or Sunrise NEXT DOOR?!? Admittedly, they have a great selection, but yo, dudes, they are gouging us.

  • http://www.boyreporter.com Ron Nurwisah, Boy Reporter

    I worked at the Virgin Megastore in Vancouver and the reason why that store never took off is because Vancouver is a vicious place to sell CDs. A and B sound, a local CD chain, agressively prices its CDs that almost no one could compete with them. When Future Shop brought in CDs they had to play by A and B’s rules and drop prices. Even local indie stores like Zulu drops its prices.
    Virgin should’ve opened up a megastore in T.O. and when I was working there it was talked about and that was almost 10 years ago.

  • Josh

    jeez bono. you are so far out of your element that i don’t believe you’ve ever even seen your element. hmv is brutal. i just would have liked to gasp at extra expensive virgin megastore cds as well as hmmmmvah cds.

  • gary

    The last I heard a Virgin Megastore was still a cornerstone of the ever-evolving plans for the Dundas Square redevelopment. Oh well, I’m sure another Big Box will step up and take its place. And I agree, I haven’t bought a CD from HMV for 10 years. The prices are laughable — only a grandparent buying CDs for their grandkids xmas list would be clueless enough to pay those prices. $22 or $25 for a run-of-the mill crap CD seems pretty normal now. What a joke. When I was in university I had a rule: any cd over $12.99 was too much. Haha. It seems so quaint now, doesn’t it…

  • Bono

    Out of my element? You John!
    There are bargains to be had at HMV, you just have to lose the snobiness at the door and go in to find them.

  • lifeofone

    I welcome HMV back downtown. People who havn’t bought a cd at HMV in 10 years can’t still complain about prices 10 years ago. Companies need time to grow strong, HMV’s prices are alot lower now. I have seen New Releases at HMV at the same price and LOWER than A&B in the last six months or so and def cheaper than Virgin. B is right there are bargins to be had in HMVs. I think they will do a mega store much better in that space then Virgin. Give them a year to settle in and get things right and that store will rock. They are going to increase the amount of ttitles over virgin by 30% i heard in the press release. Loww prices are always good but more titles is always what ia m looking for. And this HMV says they are going to carry the largest music selection in the country and i am stoked that it will be here in Van.

  • iamfoo

    as long as they keep jarmusch movies and scott walker cd’s in stock i’ll be happy. virgin’s the only big place in town to get stuff like that.