Vinyl in London - top tip

[psi310398]

I'm sure those who care know all the specialist vinyl stores in London but here is one less likely to be known.

Should any vinyl fans be passing through London you might want to pop into a store called Fopp hard by Shatesbury Avenue /Cambridge Circus. I have just spent an hour buying new LPs and 180g reissues for not unreasonable prices - £8.00 to £30.00. Strong on 70/80s pop and on jazz. Also metal and dance. The stock changes frequently.

Fopp looks like a boring chain but you can do serious damage to your wallet here. It also does a very good line in art house DVDs from the Continent.

It is right in the heart of the theatre district if you are taking in a show during your visit.

P

[antipop]

This looks interesting. Thank you for sharing

I haven't had the chance to go to London this year which is odd as I used to go several time a year. I need to plan a trip and check this place out.

[eddiel]

I used to shop at Fopp all the time when I lived in London. The prices and selection were better under the original owners but they selection is still pretty good. I still pop in when I'm in town.

The original owners extended themselves and had cash flow issues. They put the chain up for sale and HMV bought them. I think they're still under the ownership of HMV.

You should've seen the one they opened on Tottenham Court Road before the sale to HMV. It was huge. But it must have added to their growing cash flow issues.

[psi310398]

Originally Posted by eddiel

I used to shop at Fopp all the time when I lived in London. The prices and selection were better under the original owners but they selection is still pretty good. I still pop in when I'm in town.

The original owners extended themselves and had cash flow issues. They put the chain up for sale and HMV bought them. I think they're still under the ownership of HMV.

You should've seen the one they opened on Tottenham Court Road before the sale to HMV. It was huge. But it must have added to their growing cash flow issues.

eddiel,

Yes, I used to work for the accounting firm that administered them when they ceased trading. We had to take possession of all their stores but sadly (rightly) no preferential treatment when it came to disposal of the stock.

I do hope HMV understands their niche and allows them to continue to differentiate from the mainstream stores. Fopps is still a real treasure trove with Japanese CD versions, 180g reissues and some exotica.

Incidentally, the branch I mentioned is a spit away from the Foyle's bookstore which has just relocated into a new flagship store on the Charing Cross Road - 100 yards or so from Fopps. Always worth going to for books (although the infuriating but amusing at the same time old-style Soviet bread queue method of buying them is now long-gone) but it also hosts the estimable Ray's Jazz and Classical music store which oldtimers will remember from its days in Seven Dials (around the corner). There is often something interesting and rare in there.

Peter