Vinyl to return to WHSmith after over 30 years
WHSmith has announced that it will be selling vinyl records again for the first time in three decades.
The UK retailer will be bringing a selection of vinyl records into 80 of its high street stores, in response to a growing customer demand. This includes stores in Canterbury, Chester, Edinburgh Gyle, York and more, and will feature physical albums from huge names like Taylor Swift and Queen.
WHSmith first started selling vinyl back in the ’50s, and became a key destination for those looking to find records on the high street. Now, over three decades after they were removed from the stores, they’re set to return following a surge in popularity.
Earlier this summer, for instance, it was reported that sales of physical music were on track to see their first increase in two decades, following years of being overshadowed by streaming.
“After 30 years vinyl is back at WHSmith! I’m sure there are many customers out there who remember spending hours in record shops browsing the latest vinyl LPs and the artistic record covers,” said Emma Smyth, Commercial Director of WHSmith High Street. “To me, it’s no surprise that vinyl is growing in popularity again, and we are very excited to be bringing back record selections to more than 80 different stores across the UK for both seasoned fans and new listeners alike.”
The relaunch comes after the retailer recently introduced Toys’R’Us shop-in-shops to its various stores in a new partnership. 76 Toys’R’Us outlets are set to open in WHSmith stores by the end of the year.
WHSmith isn’t the only retailer to be back stocking vinyl following increased demand. Earlier this year NME reported that classic UK music shop Our Price was set to relaunch 20 years after it closed.
Our Price was a popular chain of record stores across the UK and Ireland, which launched in the early ‘70s and became a famous presence on high streets across the country up until the early ‘00s.Despite having branches in locations such as Kings Road, Chelsea and being named as the second-largest retailer of records and tapes in the ‘80s – with Woolworths being the first – the business was put under threat by the expansion of HMV and eventually closed in 2004.
To celebrate the relaunch, Our Price shared more details about what music lovers could expect to see. “The brand embarks on a new chapter, poised to reclaim its proper place in the hearts of music and vinyl lovers of all ages,” a statement read.
“Leveraging strategic partnerships with leading suppliers in the UK’s fast-growing vinyl distribution ecosystem, Our Price prepares for its highly anticipated rebirth on April 30, marking the 20-year anniversary of its “long silent sleep,” it added, also highlighting how the relaunch will come as a both “nod to its past” and “with an eye on the future and embracing innovation”.
The rise of vinyl sales this year has undoubtedly been aided by Taylor Swift‘s ‘The Tortured Poets Department‘, which shifted 254,241 copies in the first six months of 2024. Other records in the Top 5 for most physical sales were Billie Eilish‘s ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft‘, which sold 45,434 copies, The Last Dinner Party‘s debut album ‘Prelude To Ecstasy‘ (42,352 copies) and the self-titled album from Liam Gallagher and John Squire (46,982 copies). Rod Stewart and Jools Holland came second to Swift, selling 48,540 copies of their collaborative album ‘Swing Fever’.
The news follows an upward trajectory for vinyl sales this year. In April, vinyl sales enjoyed their highest weekly total sales in three decades, thanks to Record Store Day and the release of ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ in the same week. Data from the Official Charts Company showed that the two events resulted in 269,134 vinyl albums and 37,656 vinyl singles sales – making for a total of 306,791 units.
The post Vinyl to return to WHSmith after over 30 years appeared first on NME.
Liberty Dunworth
NME
