Music for Grown-Ups has been praising Fopp ever since the small chain started rolling out its refreshing music retailing concept in England.
Its stores, notably the new flagship in London’s Tottenham Court Rd, are my preferred outlet for buying CDs, DVDs and books. Fopp leaves the competition in its slipstream, thanks to its quirky catalogue, some keen pricing, but mostly because its genre classifications – reflected in innovative display – are just so well thought-out.
Bad news this week, though – Fopp seems to be struggling to survive – a one-day closure of stores last Friday, suspension of online sales, cash only in the stores, and the Music Zone stores – their recent acquisition is a likely major cause of Fopp’s woes – closed, as I found when I went to visit the Welwyn Garden City branch yesterday.
All music retailers are currently struggling against free downloads and aggressive online and supermarket discounting. But if all the major chains went under, Fopp is the one I’d miss most.
Gerry Smith
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