HMV collapse: Another retailer goes to the wall after perilous year for traders

The collapse of HMV into administration is the latest in a long line of corporate casualties in 2018.

The music retailer has faced pressures including “weakening consumer confidence, rising costs and business rates pressures” and joins a list of those calling in corporate undertakers, restructuring or shutting up shop for good.

HMV will continue as a going concern and all options remain open for the business, KPMG said.

One of the bigger causalities of this year was Toys R Us, which entered into administration in February.

The toy chain collapsed and insolvency specialist Moorfields sold off off the retailer’s stock at knockdown prices.

All Toys R Us’s 75 stores were closed by April 24, with 2,054 employees made redundant.

Electronics chain Maplin went bust on the same day as Toys R Us and all its stores ceased trading in June.

Poundworld disappeared from the high street in August after its administrators announced the chain’s final set of store closures.

The discount retailer fell into administration on June 11, putting more than 5,100 jobs at risk across its 335-store portfolio.

Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley brought House of Fraser back from the brink, after buying the company out of administration for £90 million in August, claiming that he wanted to turn the department store chain into the “Harrods of the high street”.

Meanwhile, other retailers – including Debenhams, Marks & Spencer, Mothercare, Homebase and Carpetright – have undertaken closure programmes of varying scales.