With HMV's share price so low, now is the time for Sir Richard Branson to make a move. Virgin should buy HMV and merge the two Music/Video chains - HMV and Virgin Megastores. He should then sell the Waterstones bookshop chain back to Tim Waterstone, (who has been gagging for it ever since he sold it!).

But, Sir Richard, (I assume you read this message board - anybody who is anybody does!), you need to move fast. Simon Fox is planning to merge the back-room operations of HMV UK and Waterstones - which, once done will make things more complicated.

The UK High Street will soon not be able to support two major specialist music/video retailers such as HMV and Virgin. Merging will produce significant cost savings. But it needs to be done now!

You are a bit late - Virgin have already outsourced all their buying etc to one of the major distribution chains (can't remember which one it is now) - so no possible saving there at all.

When HMV digital took our stuff, it automatically went to Virgin digital as well without our knowledge of why.

Oxford Street or Piccadilly may be the only places even one can survive. We had a grand party with Richard when he opened the Boston Megastore in 2002. That store closed recently, at the best retail location in Boston. Tell me......if a Megastore can't survive in a city with 7 major Universities and 300,000 college students.........where can it survive????????

Mart wrote:
When HMV digital took our stuff, it automatically went to Virgin digital as well without our knowledge of why.

Because HMV and Virgin don't do digital themselves, they both use a third party called "Musicnet". They both chose the same back-end partner.

That what happens when you don't invest in the modern world yourself!

That explains it all thanks Earl.

I know for a fact we are with Musicnet, I wrongly assumed they had not delivered yet.

GG (producer) wrote:
Oxford Street or Piccadilly may be the only places even one can survive. We had a grand party with Richard when he opened the Boston Megastore in 2002. That store closed recently, at the best retail location in Boston. Tell me......if a Megastore can't survive in a city with 7 major Universities and 300,000 college students.........where can it survive????????

It's probably more to do with the fact that the Boston store was a big store in a prime location. Sir Richard could get more value by selling the lease for $$$$$ to a fashion retailer!