Sainsbury’s: We’re the biggest vinyl record seller. HMV: Er, no you’re not
Woof. HMV has barked back at Sainsbury’s over the supermarket's claim to be the UK’s biggest high street retailer for vinyl records.
The music shop has claimed it has more than four times the market share of Sainsbury’s. It did concede, though, that “we don’t sell nearly as many teabags as Sainsbury’s”.
Sainsbury’s responded by conceding that HMV does sell more vinyls. But the supermarket said that it has more stores, 171, selling vinyls than any other retailer.
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HMV said in a statement: “For the record HMV sell more Orange Juice, Meatloaf, Cream, and Jam than Sainsbury's! We also have some Smashing Pumpkins…
“When it comes to vinyl sales HMV have over four times the market share of Sainsbury’s from a range of up to 1,500 records in each of our 128 stores.
“Not that hmv are blowing their own trumpet, but if you are looking for some Red Hot Chilli Peppers, a Hot Chip, or Black Eyed Peas: the best place to visit is your local record store.”
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Earlier this week, while reporting some mixed results, Sainsbury’s revealed it had achieved an eight per cent market share of vinyl sales after announcing plans to sell them for the first time since the 1980s in March.
In this week’s first-quarter trading update, Sainsbury’s said: “In March, we reintroduced vinyl records after 25 years and are currently the biggest vinyl retailer on the high street, having already achieved eight per cent market share.”
Responding to HMV's statement, a Sainsbury's spokesperson told City PM: "To clarify, we have more stores on the high street (171) selling vinyl – making us the biggest for location – however, we still don't sell as many records as HMV."