WH Smith to sell iconic music product in its stores for the first time in 30 years

Music fans of Taylor Swift and Oasis are successful for a dainty arsenic the retailer is bringing is is reintroducing an aged favourite onto its shelves

High thoroughfare retailer WH Smith is reintroducing vinyl records to its shelves for the archetypal clip successful implicit 3 decades.

Looking to pat into vinyl's caller resurgence, which has captured the attraction of a caller procreation of music enthusiasts, the institution plans to rotation retired an extended scope of vinyl successful 80 stores crossed the nation. This vintage revival draws momentum from chart-topping artists similar Taylor Swift, who revealed her 11th workplace album, 'The Tortured Poets Department', volition rotation connected turntables successful vinyl form, and stone legends Oasis, who’ve besides dropped their deed compilation 'The Masterplan' arsenic a vinyl release.

Record income person been climbing steadily, with a 11.7% leap to conscionable shy of six cardinal successful 2023, marking the 16th consecutive twelvemonth of growth, according to the British Phonographic Industry. .Emma Smyth, the commercialized manager for WH Smith’s precocious thoroughfare operations, said: "I’m definite determination are galore customers retired determination who retrieve spending hours successful grounds shops browsing the latest vinyl LPs and the creator grounds covers."

She added, "To maine it’s nary astonishment that vinyl is increasing successful popularity again, and we are precise excited to beryllium bringing backmost grounds selections to much than 80 antithetic stores crossed the UK for some seasoned fans and caller listeners alike."

WH Smith, a stalwart successful the retail abstraction since the 1950s erstwhile it began vending vinyl albums, confirms that its roster of stores, including those successful Canterbury, Chester, Edinburgh Gyle, and York, volition beryllium among the locales wherever vinyl aficionados tin indulge their passion. WH Smith archetypal began selling vinyl albums successful the 1950s, with records becoming a cardinal merchandise class for the retailer.

However, WH Smith ceased selling them successful the 1990s erstwhile CDs took over. This latest determination is portion of WH Smith's strategy to revitalise its stores and grow its merchandise range. The retailer precocious announced plans to unfastened Toys ‘R’ Us concessions wrong 76 stores by year-end, marking the instrumentality of the iconic artifact marque to the precocious street.