HMV Group

HMV is a British global entertainment retail chain and is the largest of its kind in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The company also operates in Hong Kong and Singapore. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE Fledgling Index. Acquisitions by the HMV Group include Waterstone's in 1998 from W H Smith (sold in 2011), the music retailer Fopp in August 2007, and selected Zavvi retail outlets in February 2009.

Simon Fox has been Chief Executive Officer since 28 September 2006. For this role he is paid an annual salary of £873,000.

HMV stands for His Master's Voice, a painting created in 1899 by Francis Barraud, A.R.A., of the dog Nipper listening to a cylinder phonograph. For advertising purposes this was changed to a wind-up gramophone, and eventually used simply as a silhouette.

History

20th Century

In 1921 the Gramophone Company opened the first HMV shop in London, England; the composer Sir Edward Elgar participated in the opening ceremonies. In March 1931 the Gramophone Company merged with Columbia Graphophone Company to form Electric and Musical Industries Ltd (EMI).

In 1966, HMV began expanding its retail operations in London. Throughout the 1970s, the company continued to expand, doubling in size,...
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