Entertainment
Entertainment explores the business and consumer trends driving the UK entertainment retail market, from gaming and film to music, books, and media. This section covers trading performance, brand strategy, licensing deals, and product innovation across both physical and digital channels. Retail Sector’s Entertainment coverage delivers insight for retailers, suppliers, and category managers seeking to understand how shifting consumer behaviour, technology, and partnerships are shaping sales and growth in this fast-evolving sector.
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Jan- 2019 -9 January
HMV ‘denied’ £3.35m tax lifeline before administration
Beleaguered music and film retailer, HMV, who officially fell into administration during the festive period, was denied a £3.35m government tax cut before it entered administration new figures have revealed. HMV blamed a “tsunami” of retail challenges, including business rate levels, saying it paid £15m on sales of £277m meaning…
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Dec- 2018 -7 December
Games Workshop defies ‘high street woes’ with strong H1 results
Fantasy miniatures retailer Games Workshop has reported sales of £124m and operating profits of £41m for the first six months of its 2018/19 financial year. The group said the results were “in line with expectations” for the year ending 2 June 2019, but added that the board is “aware it…
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Oct- 2018 -31 October
Argos and John Lewis Christmas toy lists create surge in interest
A new study has found interest in this year’s “must-have” Christmas toys surged by almost eight times, following the publication of the Argos and John Lewis top Christmas toys lists. The research by digital marketing agency, Everest Media, analysed the volume of Google searches that each toy on the list…
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29 October
HMV tops Amazon on physical music sales
HMV has overtaken Amazon for physical music sales, the entertainment retailer increased its market share to 28% during the 12 weeks to 23 September. According to research published by Kantar Worldpanel, the release of the 100th edition of Now That’s What I Call Music which sold almost double its predecessor,…
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3 October
Toys R’ Us to rise from the dead
Toys R’ Us is rumoured to be revived after an auction for its brand and rights was cancelled with a group of investors which originally ended the toy retailer’s reorganisation in April. According to documents obtained by the Wall Street Journal, the group has plans for “a new, operating Toys…
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Jun- 2018 -8 June
Games Workshop’s profits continue to rise
Games Workshop, the manufacturer and retailer of fantasy miniatures, continued to grow in sales and profit across all sales channels since the start of May. The retailer expects group sales to be about £219m with a pre-tax profit of £74m for the 53-week period to 3 June 2018. Games Workshop…
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Mar- 2018 -6 March
Consumer spending on ‘non-essentials’ increases
According to Barclaycard February 2018 saw increased sales of non-essentials, as consumers continued to prioritise their spending on the ‘experience economy’. Data from the group also revealed supermarket spending (3.2%) returned to levels previously seen over the past six months, after a spike of 4.4% in January 2018. Entertainment performed…
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Feb- 2018 -12 February
Game to open ‘e-sport arenas’ within Sports Direct stores
Video game retailer Game has announced plans to open e-sports ‘gaming arenas’ and concessions within Sports Direct stores. The Belong brand is the group’s competitive gaming and e-sports scheme centred around physical ‘arenas’, bringing both casual and competitive gaming to communities nationwide in cities, town centres and major shopping centres.…
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2 February
Amazon’s quarterly profits approach $2bn for first time
Online retailing giant Amazon has enjoyed its best ever quarter with profits almost reaching $2bn (£1.42bn) for the first time in the company’s history. The online retail giant reported that it saw its net income more than double to $1.9bn (£1.33bn) in the fourth quarter ending December 31 2017, up…
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1 February
2,400 jobs at risk again as Toys R Us UK future back in doubt
Toys R Us UK is again under threat amid reports that its US parent company is seeking a buyer for the British business just weeks after securing support for a rescue plan. According to Sky News, Alvarez & Marsal, the company dealing with the US retailer’s bankruptcy protection, has begun…
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