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HMV has announced plans to open three new stores in the UK and Europe as part of a new expansion. The new shops will be located in Peterborough, Cork in the Republic of Ireland and The Hague in the Netherlands. The new Peterborough store will be in the Queensgate Shopping Centre and is expected to open before the end of the year. The Cork store will be situated in the Merchants Quay Shopping Centre. It will be the third HMV site in the Republic of Ireland, with sites already open in Dublin and Limerick. And the third new site in The Hague will mark the first HMV store in The Netherlands. HMV collapsed into administration in December 2018 for the second time in six years, blaming a growing trend of people streaming films and music for its struggles. The retailer was rescued by Canadian firm Sunrise Records and entrepreneur Doug Putman in a deal that saved 100 stores. HMV currently has around 120 stores across the UK. Phil Halliday, managing director at HMV and Fopp, said: “We’re constantly striving to create new homes for communities of fans to come together and share their love of music and popular culture. “That’s why we are so thrilled that, after five years of working on a deal, we are finally able to open a new store in Peterborough and meet the strong public demand. “We are also set to open our first store in The Netherlands and a third store in Ireland before the end of the year, in The Hague and Cork respectively. “We plan to continue focusing on opening stores in Ireland and across mainland Europe as our main targets for expansion, where it currently makes more sense to do so from a business point of view.” He added: “We always aim to bring ranges that can’t be found anywhere else under one roof. We’re confident that we can continue to bring something new to shoppers across the UK and Europe and hope that fans will share our excitement when we open the doors of our three new stores.” In more retail news, New Look has launched its first-ever loyalty scheme with exclusive discounts for members. Club New Look is free to sign up to, with perks including weekly “Club Prices” on select products, early access to sales and promotional events, and entry into member-only competitions. Members also get a 25% welcome discount when they join. The fashion retailer said it wants to deliver a more personalised shopping experience for its 10 million known customers.
