HMV Oxford Street: Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney, McBusted and other stars through the years as store returns

HMV will return to Oxford Street more than a century after the iconic music brand first opened a store there.

The company will reopen its flagship shop at 363 Oxford Street after a four-year absence, carrying the current logo and the HMV Shop brand.

With origins in the late 19th century, ‘His Master’s Voice’ came to dominate retail record sales in the UK. But in 2013 it went into administration. Store closures followed but, since 2020, new Canadian owner Doug Putman has begun opening outlets again.

Mr Putman said: “The expansion of our fan-focused pop culture offer is really working for us and the reopening of our flagship represents the culmination of a good few years of hard work. We are also opening stores in Europe this year, so while it is the culmination of one phase of work, more excitingly we see it as the launchpad for an exciting new era for hmv.”

The store will stock pop culture merchandise, vinyl, film, TV and music technology. HMV currently has 120 shops in the UK, including at Westfield in White City, the Fopp store in Covent Garden, and the 25,000 sq ft Vault in Birmingham.

Cllr Geoff Barraclough, Westminster City Council’s cabinet member for planning and economic development, said: “There’s nothing quite like browsing through CDs and vinyl in store. As a teenager who bought his first LP in an HMV shop some decades ago, I look forward to reliving that experience.”

In the past year, HMV shops in the UK have welcomed artists including Charli XCX and Stormzy - and we’ve looked into the archive at some star turns at the Oxford Street stores over the years, from Paul McCartney to Lady Gaga.