HMV Retail Ltd.

HMV is an international music and entertainment retailer, founded in London, England in 1921. The brand is owned by Hilco Capital and operated by Sunrise Records, except in Japan, where it is owned and operated by Lawson.

Key facts

Company.name: Sunrise Records and Entertainment Limited / Lawson Entertainment, Inc.
Company.logo_caption: Logo used since 2007
Company.industry: Entertainment retailer
Company.products: Musicfilmtelevisionmerchandisetechnologyvideo gamesbooks
Company.owner: Sunrise Records (United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Canada and the Netherlands)Lawson (Japan)
Company.area_served: United KingdomBelgiumCanadaIrelandNetherlandsJapan (Lawson)
Company.subsid: Fopp (UK)
Company.image: The HMV Shop, Trinity Walk, Wakefield, West Yorkshire (3rd December 2022).jpg
Company.image_caption: The exterior of a HMV location at Trinity Walk in Wakefield
Company.type: Subsidiary
Company.location: London, England Tokyo, Japan (Lawson)

Article

25 sections

Contents

History
Origins
Expansion
Flotation
Acquisitions
Administration (2013)
Hilco ownership (2013–2019)
Sunrise ownership (2019–present)
COVID-19 pandemic and 100th birthday (2020–2021)
International operations
Belgium (2023–present)
Canada (1986–2017, 2024–present)
Ireland (1986–2016, 2023–present)
Netherlands (2025–present)
Japan (1990–present)
Defunct international operations
Australia (1989–2010)
France (1990s)
Germany (1990s–2000s)
Hong Kong and Singapore (1990s–2010s)
Qatar (2015–2022)
United States (1990s–2004)
See also
References
External links

The inaugural shop was opened on Oxford Street in London by the Gramophone Company, who had already established the His Master's Voice symbol on their sound equipment, and from 1909, as its own record label. In the 1960s, HMV became a chain across London, and expanded nationwide in the 1970s. It expanded internationally in the mid-1980s, and opened its 100th UK shop in 1997.