HMV Could Learn From Rough Trade

The latest words of wisdom came from Guardian writer Helienne Lindvall, who reckons HMV could do worse than learn from Rough Trade East, a thriving record shop in London’s Brick Lane.

The Rough Trade record store brand, which includes the original Rough Trade West shop, is doing so well that it is about to open a 15,000-square-foot sister shop in Brooklyn, N.Y., next month. 

An important part of Rough Trade’s success comes down to curation, with detailed descriptions displayed on each record allowing people to browse without having to know precisely what they’re looking for.

“We’re as defined by what we don’t sell as what we do sell,” says Rough Trade East store director Stephen Godfroy. “We encourage that serendipitous discovery that can’t be replicated online.

“It’s way more sophisticated than the Amazon algorithm – online, people tend to just ‘drill down’ into an area they already know.”

The shop’s clientele dispels the myth that the only people still interested in physical records are men older than 40.

The average age of its customers is in the lower 20s, with an even split between male and female.

The younger people are less “format prejudiced” than the older customers, says Godfroy.