It comes as no surprise to those who’ve kept abreast of news reports recently, but today, record outlet Fopp announced its closure.
The past week has seen a myriad of telling signs – the abrupt close last Friday (22nd June) for an ‘emergency stock take’, the company’s refusal to take anything but cash payments for the last seven days, and reports that no more books were being ordered in.
Now the proprietors have released this statement:
"It is with great regret that we announce the closure of Fopp.
"Our store chain is profitable, well regarded and loved by our loyal customers and staff. However, we have failed to gain the necessary support from major stakeholders, suppliers and their credit insurers to generate sufficient working capital to run our expanding business.
"We would like to thank staff and customers for their support over the past 25 years."
Coming to prominence in the last 5 or so years with a select number of chains dotted throughout the country, Fopp was seen as a cheap and semi-specialist alternative to the large all-in-one retail chains up and down the high street. Indeed, it was regarded well.
However, it seems like the classic tale of biting more than a small company can chew with a sudden spurt of quick expansion. A key element of that was the purchase of 67 Music Zone stores up and down the country. Originally, some of the stores were to be re-branded as Fopp outlets, but they just as quickly seemingly became a massive millstone around Fopp’s neck that many will view as the sole reason for the company’s demise.
Others may consider that it’s just another victim of the falling profits to be had from record sales – just this week HMV posted a large and dramatic slump in profits. Indeed, it's doubtful that Fopp's backers ignored that information when making a final decision.
Really though, it looks like the story of a company that flew too high, too fast and burnt its wings.
DiS recently hosting a series of fortnightly free shows in association with Fopp, and we will miss them.
DiScuss: Will you miss Fopp? Do you see the demise as a tragic attempt to live beyond its means? Or simply another casualty of a changing marketplace that no-one has yet worked out how to adjust to? Did Fopp lose its marketplace niche by attempting to compete with the big boys?
Who’s next? Will the large stores like Virgin and HMV be underthreat? Or do Rough Trade and all the independents need to be looking over their collective shoulders?
What galls me about all this
Is that Head Office have known for WEEKS that it was all going tits up. A local guy was booked to play an in-store some 3 months ago, and his manager was told that Fopp was going to pot.
The utter lack of communication filtering down to us mere shopfloor monkeys from head office was appalling on a whole host of issues and problems. Getting a straight answer about the simplest of enquiries was back-breakingly difficult.
Shame to see it go, it was a cushy little job.
shame to see
it go - it was a wicked shop. And most importantly it was great value.
I think what's actually happened goes something like this - Woolworths sell MVC stores to a new private company who run into cashflow problems and go into administration.
MVC's stores are then sold on to Music Zone who themselves run into cashflow problems and enter administration, and company is wound up. After this Fopp agree to acquire 67 Music Zone stores in February '07.
When MZ went bust, they left a lot of outstanding debts to suppliers, and when Fopp took them over, those suppliers demanded their money. This led to them refusing to supply Fopp until they were paid, with Fopp receiving a very piece-meal supply of new releases for the past 2 months or so. At the same time, they'd continued expanding, with the most recent store opening only 3 weeks ago.
Very sad, but nothing really to do with weak record sales. they were just saddled with debts from their business dealings. they'll be missed
although to be fair
in most business when their is big change you denials and non-information from the top. you heard things on the rumouir mill, which are then denied, only to hear that the rumours wewe true all the way along through a press statement...
I'm sad to see them go..
We have
a gig booked at Tottenham Court Rd. We only got booked about a week back, they must of known then. Shame. I wonder if the promoter will bother to tell us it's off?
I've always hated
Fopp, the longest I've spent in one was to queue for some Truck tickets. I think Pure Groove is a good record shop, that's where I while away all my money...
Strange
Going into the Camden/Shaftesbury Av/Tottenham Ct stores recently, you'd have never thought it was failing.
London is never really indicative..
...of a retail chain's wider malaise.. those stores were well-stocked and well placed.
The issue of Fopp wasn't actually those Fopp stores itself, more the albatross that were the MVC stores around the country in less-music orientated suburbs and towns..
Ah now I see...
On the day that Neon Bible came out (remember, we are talking early March here) I ran into Fopp's TCR flagship store eager to buy it, only to be told that "the order from Universal hasn't arrived yet". Went back at lunch time, still no supplies. 4pm - no supplies.
It seemed really odd that a major chain would have no new releases from a massive distributor on release day given that they are normally delivered to stores something ike the Friday before.
Very sad, though. I loved Fopp. Great staff. And it all started from a tiny stall/cabin in Glasgow called A1 Records, where I used to spend my student grant in the early 1980s. I'll really miss it.
..
I have to say, it does seem odd. the store in Sheffield has always been busy (I went in just a couple of days ago) and I was a huge fan of it. I'm actually quite gutted. It was a good shop where you could ALWAYS get a bargain. so much so I used to have to stop myself going in. Whatever happens to music stores I will NEVER buy a download.
But the staff in the Sheffield one were always so mardy
I always ended up buying stupid combinations of records just to provoke even a raised eyebrow, but nothing!
I WANT MY RECORD SHOP STAFF TO BE TALKATIVE DAMMIT
Yes this is cr@p news
With the music zone stores did they change the name to Fopp or not? I always thought the shops were busy and well stocked in Notts and Brentwood (a less-music orientated suburb). With a good selection of bargains on the £5 rails.
Who thought it would be a good idea to buy the MZ shops without looking through the books?
Just don't let Selectadisc buy the remaining stores and take them under as well.
Music Zone
MZ stores stayed as MZ.
MZ and Fopp were two separate trading entities.
Cambridge
Fopp in cambridge was lacking stock lately.. we were wondering what was going on!!!
alas. TCR Fopp was awesome. They put on some brilliant instore gigs.
change that headline
that headline (sort of) tells us that "Fopp has been contained within its own expansive agenda". Subsumed is not a fancy synonym for consumed.
its a real
shame
We've only just got Fopp in Cheltenham...after me knowing of Fopp for years...we finally get a store!...and then this!
Bollox
me no like
:o(
It's just dawned on me that
The last ever CD I sold was the L/E version of The T'wang album. Argh!
Do you "hate it when you feel like that"?
Haw haw.
Dammit!
Yeah it was good to work for them foppsters. I can't help feeling pissed off that they strung us along until the day before payday to tell us they couldn't pay our wages. Gee thanks. I could have been searching for another job instead of wasting my time.
The acquisition of Music Zone seems to be the start of the troubles, at least from a shop-floor perspective. But with larger retailers like HMV announcing such huge slumps in profits, perhaps it's the start of a trend? Web-based music retail is gonna take over!
I like CDs!
I must be old.
But I can get over CDs. What I can't get over is the fact that people now just 'buy the tracks they like'. No such thing as growers now. Plus artists generally put an album together, intended to be heard as a complete work in a particular order. What's the point if people now just want "...track 5, no, 6, whichever one's got the bit with a big 'WOO!' in the chorus"?
It's a sad day
the guys who worked in the Reading store were all great people, all really into their music and all heavily involved in the local music scene (DJ sest, distributing flyers, promoting bands in The Fly). Not a single one of these people deserved to lose their jobs...I remember their former manager spending nearly an hour one day taking me round the shop recommending me electronica albums - in how many other stores would that be the case? Still, judging by the comments I was hearing a few months back, the wanring signs were there pretty early on.
Amen...
...Reading Fopp staff are/were ace.
We didn't have a Fopp in Birmingham
But whenever i saw one i went in it. I'l miss it in principle because it was one of the only more independant record stores that seemed to be doing quite well. Still I never bought a CD from there and I know i'm part of the problem but I'm still a bit sad to hear the news.
fopping sad news,
i think i have spent more in fopp than any other shop. I'm guessing that somebody will come along and pick up the pieces, what with the name, the stock and the locations all being of signficant value.
What will happen to my Fopp vouchers now?
WHAT?
Rollie filters, George, rollie filters..
...
I've never been to Fopp
but I experienced similar anxiety when Tower Records closed. Civilization as I used to know it will soon be a thing of the past... and I'm not happy about it.
thats strange
i dont consider tower closing to be a tragedy particularly
So they're absolutely, definitely, 100% closing now?
There's no way back, through a reshuffle of debt, or anything like that?
If so, that's a massive shame. I loved Fopp, whenever I got a chance to go. There were always incredible bargains to be had.
'Grace Legacy Edition' for £5? Don't mind if I do.
They were also about the only place I ever managed to find any New York Dolls stuff.
I know it's probably incredibly over-simplified, but it does seem that the acquisition of Music Zone was what did for them.
I think they could handle their, up to now, slow expansion. But that sudden burst crippled them.
yeah
those £5 albums were amazing - I completely filled up my Cocteau Twins back catalogue five pounds at a time. ahh, memories.
greedy
Fopp was a great store, but when you've got a great format there is no need to over expand - the Music Zone buyout was absurd. Look at Amoeba in the States, one of the most awesome record stores on the planet and they only have three stores.
Sadly Fopp became a victim of their own greed. I feel for their staff who made the place a joy to visit.
this...
makes me incredibly sad. great shop, great atmosphere, always great albums at £5... online shopping can never replace the record shop experience of browsing aimlessly and then just buying something random 'cos you like the cover (how i got into liars, incidentally)
it's sad
I hardly ever go to record stores now and mostly get stuff online, but used to enjoy going down to the TCR with the intention of spending £50-60 and coming away with loads of cds, dvds, books. It seemed like great value and they seemed to have a genuinely good business model going on.
I remember going to the Covent Garden Fopp with the expressed intention of getting the new Modest Mouse album. Couldn't find it, asked at the counter, they said it was coming out in a weeks time. Went up to HMV and bought it. Didn't really think there was any significance at the time, but I guess they were struggling back then even.
Yep, same with Era Vulgaris for me...
Fopp was great though, the only place that I could buy cheap CDs that were actually good. Also the only place where I didn't have to listen to absolute tripe while I was shopping too...
i have never in my life seen a Fopp
RIP Foppy, i never knew ye
it was a shit store anyway imho
no better than HMV or Virgin
it was a horrible tacky place
good riddance
But it had £5 CDs.
Yeah?
i got a gary numan album
for a pound
he is wearing leather, and looks funny.
i like gary. i like fopp.
The best music shop in the country.
Tragedy.
:'(
I loved the Fopp on Byres Road.
I used to buy something most days I went in, there always seemed to be something for a fiver that I didn't really want or need but couldn't resist 'cause it was "only a fiver".
I'll miss ye Fopp, greatest music store ever.
Echoeing others
I liked the business plan they had going on. It was the simple and distinguishable differences to HMV/Virgin that made the stores worthwhile, and I shall miss shopping in them.
From an article in The Times today it looks like there would be a period of uncertainty ahead. Indications were that the chain were in talks with their bank and were fighting against administration, it's unfortunate that this story did not have a happy ending.
I feel sorry for the staff as they are unlikely to see the money they earned this month.
Shit!
The Fopp on Byres Road was a 20 second stroll from my new flat, i was rather looking forward to becoming further entrenched in debt as a result. It's going to be a huge loss, always loved the place.
BYERS RD!!!!
is by far the best music store I have had the pleasure of using. A source of quality music to all Glasgow Uni students that will be sorely missed. I was 30 sec away!!!
BYRES RD even.
Damn, too much bloody alcohol!
there's always mono....
even though it's miles in the pissing rain away. and there's the tacky record shop in the arcade. fopp was the best chain music shop and i'm gonna miss that little guy, i hardly knew him. wonder what will take over the space?
and that other one across the road with loads of tat
and the oxfam vinyl shop! i think glasgow will be ok
blah
glad i'm out they screwed around with our management made the whole place a nightmare to work in the area manager is a cock. fopp = terrible with staff
chill
out
oh no.
this is actually quite sad. other local shops shut, and the fopp in cambridge replaced a local store which a lot of people were bitter about, but i think it won over. and the staff were always really great. take a hint hmv. i could lose myself in a fopp for an hour and not feel like i was unwanted or suspicious. dreaming of buying daft punk vinyls. i owe a great fraction of my collection to them. i salute you fopp. (camb store at least).
Gopp rule
one of the only good music shops around. ARSE
FOPP I meant
of course. Ah.
brighton fopp will be missed
and ill likely have more money as a result now, but wheres the consolation in that!
+1
i loved fopp too.
all is not lost
Brighton will get by, Borderline and Wax Factor are my main vinyl stops in the city.
fopp
this sums it up really well fopp in guildford was great the staff were great far far better than the ones you get in hmv or virgin they love music and knew what they were talking about,you would all leave buying something great value five pound for an album the same one in hmv would be ten pounds. and yes you could spend time looking around and going back and looking again at a cd without being watched or some silly school girl the kind they have in hmv coming up to you and asking if you need any help. the joy of looking round a record shop with twenty quid to spend,came back for a while like record shops used to be even hmv and virgin were like it once dont you remember twenty five thirty years agos spending saturday afternoon in record shop talking to staff and even knowing there names.at least with fopp you had a choice my record collection has grow greatly since we had a fopp i will still and always buy cds but never in the amount i would have done if fopp was still here. fopp is dead long live fopp
cock
Which store was that? I heard some really shitty storys about how they treated staff. were they true?
...
About a month(ish) ago I into a Fopp store in East Kilbride to order a Mahala Rai Banda CD in and they said they'd been having a lot of trouble getting stock recently, but had been told the problem would clear up in a week or two. A fortnight latter and I notice that they aren't as fully stocked on books and greetings cards. I didn't think too much of it though. It's sad now to see it go, there are no independant music stores in East Kilbride, just an HMV and Virgin now. I will most definetly miss it.
I sympathise with the staff, it must be a shock losing your job so quickly, especially if you are losing out on wages. Hope you all get everything you're owed back.
i visited that very ek fopp
on an almost daily basis... it just had such a nicer atmosphere than hmv and virgin, and the staff were a pretty friendly lot. hmv feels like a cattle market, and virgin has an awful range.
genuinely gutting news.
NO
:'(
apparently Virgin made a last minute bid
to save them
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/retailing/article2005501.ece
At least
Nottingham still has a Selectadisc. Long live Selectadisc, and all who sail in her.
this is most
Bogus news
I haven't been impressed
with their stock for ages. Everytime I have gone in, they haven't got it.
I thank iTunes for the time being.
Ha Ha
Fopp was a great company without a doubt but they fired me over a year ago for not coming in for one day when every other day i ever worked I was early and worked hard...so I kind of feel like Karma has struck...ha ha.
But seriously the music industry is going through too much change at the moment. As a result it is far too risky a business decision to by record into a record store.
Only last year tower records in the US went bust and now Fopp. I think it is obvious that the future of the music industry as a deliverable lies in the internet. Stores like HMV need to focus on products such as gaming and DVD (which is also next in the firing line) in order to survive for the time being.
As for music, I honestly think that the only money that is going to be made as far as tangible products are concerened is A) from the Musos who want the latest ISIS album on Vynl, and B) The kids who buy band merchandise. I think it is only a matter of time till we see HMV in the same position as Fopp.
The rest of the music industry lies with the booming sales of live events and digital downloads...
ooops
a few spelling mistakes..
if they really took on MZ debt without realising
then they are twats of the highest order. It's reported that the stores themselves were doing ok - and that was the case, the shop managers I met were pretty competent but the central office workers were officious types, forever failing to keep promises and not to be relied on.
Looks like they got ideas above their station, trying to be a nationwide chain - all very well if you are have the business acumen and the expertise, but they had neither. Again, fair enough if you're gambling your own cash, but not when you are messing with other people's jobs and quite literally stealing from them by having them work for free.
i'm gonna
really miss em. Such a change from shopping in HMV or Virgin. Fopp had better Vinyl sections too...
although, money wise, hmv and virgin do student discount and Fopp didn't. It worked out pretty much the same.
Fopp was fantastic
but there's a feeling that it's bowed out (relatively) honourably, with its legacy in tact. The biggest loss, as far as I'm concerned, will be that there were bunches and bunches of fantastic in-store performances, featuring some damn good bands.
but while HMV et al continue to plough on sulkily, they're all coming to an end.
more and more now, online stores starting at amazon and getting smaller from there provide (almost) as many services and benefits of record stores, and the sad fact is, if it's a very obscure record that's just been released, my only chances to find it are on amazon et al or in independent record stores. and there hasn't been any independent record stores in this northern town for quite a few years.
g'bye Fopp, cheers for the thirty-or-so CDs I bought from you.
buy a fopp
with all the sad emotion about the loss of fopp instead of going on about it why dont some of us do something about it and buy one. it would be a two finger sulute to hmv and virgin and keep record collector like us happy. 20-30 stores will never work anymore sad but true, but one big fantastic one would there is enough of us out there to save one, a record store for the people run by the people. if no one does
any thing you will never see on a high street again the cd album choice that fopp had. shops like this must be saved, if you want to paid ten quid for a album fine i would rather buy two for that price.lets bring back the fun of going into a record shop spending hours in them and finding that gem youve been looking for.lets start the campaine to save fopp and other independent store before its two later, remember it was only 17-18 years ago they told us vinly was dead now there is more about than there has been for year.get up and fight for your store or soon they will all look the same and sell the same.
I feel feel sorry for the staff more...
... than anything. From what the BBC was saying none of them are to be paid for the past month's work and of course no redundancy pay... I wonder what happened to all the rushed 'cash only' sales profit made in the final few days?
I'll really miss Fopp too,
but I can't help thinking this could be good news for the genuinely independent record shops. With Fopp, MZ and MVC all gone, HMV in trouble and no other real competition, we might see small indie stores actually opening... Here's hoping anyway.
Fopp iin Edinburgh
were kind enough to sell my band's homemade CD-Rs (way back before they expanded