His Master's Voice

The first bad news of the year relating to the British economy came with the high street camera retailer Jessops announcing closure of all their stores in the UK.

I was sad for the loss of all those jobs but I wasn't overtly bothered, having never really been a customer of Jessops.

However, the news that HMV, the last music 'giant' retailer on the high streets, has gone into administration has really saddened me.

Like many customers, because of cheaper prices, I've shopped less at HMV and more at other online places but I can say that I've always shopped and purchased something from HMV - just not as often as I used to.

And soon, I may not be able to shop there at all. Gutted that I have some vouchers still but that's not the point. I recall spending many a happy hour or two browsing in various HMV stores, looking at CD album so obscure bands, often buying their 3 for £10 deals.

Hopefully, some deal can be made to keep some of the stores on the high street.