HMV Canada celebrates 20th anniversary with unveiling of new 'Store of the Future' design concept at Bloor Street location in Toronto

    TORONTO, May 28 /CNW/ - With 123 stores nationally, providing customers
with a total entertainment experience, HMV Canada is celebrating it's 20th
anniversary in Canada with the opening of the new 'Store of the Future' HMV
concept store at Bloor Street on June 17, 2008. The newly designed location
will be the first full-fledged 'Store of the Future' to launch in the Canadian
market (with 20 additional stores unveiling the new look nationwide throughout
the year).
    The store grand opening will feature an 8am breakfast event, inviting
consumers to be the first to visit the new space and enjoy coffee and snacks.
The day will be filled with numerous activities; including an official ribbon
cutting ceremony, an intimate acoustic performance by British cult hero
Billy Bragg, a Warner Home Video Fool's Gold contest, in addition to numerous
giveaways and contests throughout the day. The festivities will continue well
into the evening with a glittering, private cocktail reception for the
entertainment industry tastemakers from 7pm-10pm that evening.
    "We are thrilled to be celebrating 20 years in Canada. This store and its
respective features reflect a new, improved, and revamped HMV. This revamped
HMV will see us offering a broader range of entertainment products, including:
videogames, DVD's, iPod's, books, entertainment focused mobile phones and of
course music!" said Humphrey Kadaner, President of HMV Canada. "The new Bloor
street store will provide our loyal customers with everything they have come
to expect from HMV, all in a state of the art, contemporary store."
    Located at 50 Bloor Street West in Toronto, with a total of 5,900 square
feet of retail space, the store re-opening will give consumers an opportunity
to experience a variety of newly expanded features, unique to the new 'Store
of the Future' design. Beyond its new store design, other services being
introduced in this location include: an interactive "Hub" encompassing 6 iMac
computers featuring easy access to a variety of entertainment and social
networking sites, gaming stations, as well as the introduction of a selection
of books and entertainment focused mobile phones.
    HMV has proven itself as an innovative leader in Canada since 1986,
recognized by Canadian Music Week (CMW) as the Music Retailer of the Year by
the Canadian music industry for 18 consecutive years and also the recipient of
2 Canadian Entertainment Network DVD Awards for Retailer of the Year. HMV
Canada continues to expand and adapt to ever-evolving consumer needs and
continues to be a leader in the retail landscape. The store offers customers
an interactive shopping experience with their CDs, books, gaming, iPods and
DVDs.

    About HMV:

    With over 80 years of music retailing history, 400 stores worldwide (123
in Canada), HMV is the world's premier entertainment retailer. The first HMV
shop was opened in 1921 at 363 Oxford Street, one of London's most prominent
shopping streets, and HMV has since developed into one of the world's leading
retailers of music, video and games. HMV focuses on providing an authoritative
range and depth of selection that is superior to that of its competitors,
including hard-to-find items and a large number of back catalogue titles.

    Weblink: www.hmv.ca

For further information: For publicity inquiries or interview
opportunities, please contact Holly Cybulski at Strut Entertainment: (416)
861-0387 or holly@strutentertainment.com