Vinyl to return to WHSmith after over 30 years

nme.com:

sales of physical music were on track to see their first increase in two decades, following years of being overshadowed by streaming.“After 30 years vinyl is back at WHSmith!

I’m sure there are many customers out there who remember spending hours in record shops browsing the latest vinyl LPs and the artistic record covers,” said Emma Smyth, Commercial Director of WHSmith High Street. “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.”The relaunch comes after the retailer recently introduced Toys’R’Us shop-in-shops to its various stores in a new partnership.

76 Toys’R’Us outlets are set to open in WHSmith stores by the end of the year.WHSmith isn’t the only retailer to be back stocking vinyl following increased demand.

Earlier this year NME reported that classic UK music shop Our Price was set to relaunch 20 years after it closed.Our Price was a popular chain of record stores across the UK and Ireland, which launched in the early ‘70s and became a famous presence on high streets across the country up until the early ‘00s.Despite having branches in locations such as Kings Road, Chelsea and being named as the second-largest retailer of records and tapes in the ‘80s – with Woolworths being the first – the business was put under threat by the expansion of HMV and eventually closed in 2004.To celebrate the relaunch, Our Price shared more details about what music lovers could expect to see.