HMV returning to Grand Arcade in Wigan

The shock announcement was made on Wednesday and is a welcome shot in the arm for the town's retail scene.

The CD and DVD chain was a founder tenant of the Grand Arcade when it opened but as the business got into financial difficulties, the Wigan unit became one of the casualties of a major restructuring.

Since then though the business has rallied somewhat. Another HMV to close in Warrington's Golden Square shopping centre changed hands for a while before being reinstated as an HMV last year.

And now the chain has announced its Wigan return too.

Its old home is now occupied by Superdrug so it is moving instead into another vacant unit and opening on November 30.

Store Manager Tara Browne and his new team are looking forward to greeting customers and helping them find the best entertainment hmv has to offer both instore and online. At the new store, shoppers will find not only a wide range of vinyl, CDs, turntables, headphones and speakers, but Blu-ray, DVDs, books and an extensive collection of music and film related T-shirts and merchandise.

Laurence Price – hmv Head Of Retail: "We are thrilled to be opening a brand new hmv store in Wigan’s Grand Arcade in November. We are extremely proud of our heritage and our dedicated staff, who, like our customers, share a passion for the best music and film, tech, t-shirts, gifts and collectables. It's great to announce that hmv is now back in Wigan, we look forward to opening our doors very soon."