While there will still be closures if the rumours of a Hilco buyout of HMV this afternoon take place, some of the outlets previously earmarked for closure will now be saved, with a final tally of stores kept open expected to be around 140.
Update: It's now been confirmed by the BBC, Hilco has purchased HMV.
MCV is claiming confirmation of certain store saves this morning, including outlets in Manchester and Edinburgh. The latter was expected to lose all of its stores at one point, but it will now retain three in total. 140 HMV owned shops will eventually be saved, with 130 HMV branded retail locations and 9 Fopp outlets (am I the only one who has never heard of Fopp?).
It's also expected that sometime today will see a deal struck between HMV and another firm, probably Hilco, which already owns HMV Canada. It could take the weekend to finalise some parts of the deal, but it should mean that by Monday, we'll have a new owner of HMV and the chain will have a mission going forward.
KitGuru Says: I'm sure this will mean a lot of staff can breathe a sigh of relief as it looks like all the unprofitable stores have been closed at this point.
“am I the only one who has never heard of Fopp?”
maybe the only one working for an ents website!