HMV, the British entertainment retailer, has announced that its discussions with creditors have come to an end and the company will enter administration. Trading of HMV stock has been suspended on the London Stock Exchange. Deloitte partners Nick, Edwards, Neville Kahn, and Rob Harding have been name-dropped as posible administrators of the company and some of its subsidiaries.
HMV has released an official statement regarding the key events:
On 13 December 2012, the Company announced that as a result of current market trading conditions, the Company faced material uncertainties and that it was probable that the Group would not comply with its banking covenants at the end of January 2013. The Company also stated that it was in discussions with its banks.
Since that date, the Company has continued the discussions with its banks and other key stakeholders to remedy the imminent covenant breach. However, the Board regrets to announce that it has been unable to reach a position where it feels able to continue to trade outside of insolvency protection, and in the circumstances therefore intends to file notice to appoint administrators to the Company and certain of its subsidiaries with immediate effect.
The Directors of the Company understand that it is the intention of the administrators, once appointed, to continue to trade whilst they seek a purchaser for the business.
It is proposed that Nick Edwards, Neville Kahn and Rob Harding, partners of Deloitte LLP, will be appointed as the administrators of the Company and certain of its subsidiaries.
The Company’s ordinary shares will be suspended from trading on the London Stock Exchange with immediate effect.
The situation is similar to that faced by Game Group in March of last year. Game entered administration and closed hundreds of stores throughout the U.K.
Physical retailers of electronics goods, such as Best Buy, have been seeing declining sales in the face of the growing internet retailers and streaming video services. There are also rumors that entertainment companies will be increasing the pressure on the market for used physical media using digital rights management (DRM) and other tactics.