In the UK, vinyl has been back for quite some time now. Last year vinyl sales hit their highest level since 1990. On Time Out we’ve covered how Record Store Day is now a national institution, Rough Trade is expanding and HMV has returned. Records are now even stocked in places like Urban Outfitters.
If you wanted yet more proof of vinyl’s resurgence, here’s some: WH Smith has announced that it will soon start stocking records, for the first time since the 1990s.
LPs will be available in 80 WH Smith stores across the UK, with the retailer attempting to attract ‘seasoned fans and new listeners alike’. The chain first started selling records in the 1950s, but LPs stopped being stocked with the rise of CDs in the ’90s.
Commenting on the return of vinyl, WH Smith’s commercial direct of high street operations Emma Smyth said: ‘To me it’s no surprise that vinyl is growing in popularity again, and we are very excited to be bringing back record selections to more than 80 different stores across the UK for both seasoned fans and new listeners alike.’
So far, WH Smith has confirmed that records will be stocked at stores in Canterbury, Chester, Edinburgh Gyle and York, with more to be confirmed.
The record renaissance with Time Out
Looking to expand your vinyl collection? Here is Time Out’s guide to the best record shops in London. Plus, did you see that Rough Trade has opened a capsule store at the Barbican?
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