NOTTINGHAM could be left without a major music shop after HMV went into administration.
The chain – which has one store in the Victoria Centre and which also owns Fopp, in Queen Street – was put into administration on Monday evening.
Twenty-five people work at HMV in Nottingham and around ten are employed at Fopp.
But the chain is asking customers for their support in a quest to find a new buyer.
HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo said Nottingham music-lovers needed to get behind the brand to help secure its future.
"Our stores are open and are continuing to trade," he said.
"We've had a lot of message of goodwill and support so far but we need people to talk with their money and come into the shops. This support will help us attract a new buyer."
Jake Cherry, 26, a shop worker from Eastwood, was shopping in the sale in HMV in the Victoria Centre yesterday.
He said: "I shop here a lot and I'd be very upset if the store were to close. I get my DVDs and games from here and there is a good sale on at the moment. It would be a real shame if HMV were to close."
Jo Crooks, 23, of Blidworth, was also browsing during the sale.
"I only really use HMV at Christmas, but I don't want it to go," she said. "There would be nowhere else in Nottingham like it really, which wouldn't be good for customers."
Beryl Morey, 65, of Newthorpe, was shopping in the city centre yesterday.
"I won't be affected by this because I don't shop at HMV," she said. "That is not to say I don't listen to music. We have the radio and we have been bought lots of CDs over the year as presents.
"I suppose it is a sign of the times, though. The recession and the growth of the internet means shops like HMV will struggle."
The move means CD and vinyl buyers in the city could be left largely with a mix of old, second-hand or local artist-only CDs at independents such as Big Apple Records and Music Inn, in the West End Arcade; Crucial Music, in High Pavement; Pendulum, on the Victoria Market; The Music Exchange, in Stoney Street; and Rob's Record Mart, in Hurts Yard. That's Entertainment, in the Victoria Centre, also sells CDs, as do some supermarkets. WH Smith in the Victoria Centre says it sells "a handful" of CDs.
HMV released a statement announcing it was ceasing trading in ordinary shares immediately – and appointing accountancy giant Deloitte to take control.
The company, which employs more than 4,000 people around the country, said in a statement that the he administrators would continue to trade while they seek a buyer for the business.
