HMV is on its knees. Zavvi, Woolworths and Borders are long gone. But as high street CD and DVD sales nosedive, Poundland shoppers are turning to the single-price discounter to snap up old favourites at a fraction of their rrp.
Poundland estimated it had sold four million DVDs in the past 12 months a tenth of the DVD sales of Woolworths and the figure "would keep going up" said Peter Stoneman, a former Woolworths account manager.
Poundland also sells pre-owned but fully refurbished CDs under its 'Replay' brand, enabling it to sell CDs by artists including Britney Spears, Girls Aloud and Westlife.
Even Shakespeare is benefiting. An astonishing 12,000 King Lear and Macbeth DVDs have flown off the shelves in recent weeks. An identical King Lear DVD costs £9.19 on Amazon.co.uk. "I am delighted more people are being exposed to the genius of Shakespeare," boomed Brian Blessed, who stars in the King Lear DVD.
Poundland's success was boosted by Entertainment Zones. Introduced 12 months ago, almost a third of the stores now feature these dedicated areas, which group together DVDs, CDs and books.
"The Entertainment Zones have been a great success for us," said Poundland chief executive Jim McCarthy. Sales of products in the Entertainment Zones, which also include mobile phone, computers and camera accessories, are up 16% year-on-year.
The popularity of its Shakespeare DVDs was an indication of Poundland's increased popularity among the AB demographic, he added.
Poundland estimated it had sold four million DVDs in the past 12 months a tenth of the DVD sales of Woolworths and the figure "would keep going up" said Peter Stoneman, a former Woolworths account manager.
Poundland also sells pre-owned but fully refurbished CDs under its 'Replay' brand, enabling it to sell CDs by artists including Britney Spears, Girls Aloud and Westlife.
Even Shakespeare is benefiting. An astonishing 12,000 King Lear and Macbeth DVDs have flown off the shelves in recent weeks. An identical King Lear DVD costs £9.19 on Amazon.co.uk. "I am delighted more people are being exposed to the genius of Shakespeare," boomed Brian Blessed, who stars in the King Lear DVD.
Poundland's success was boosted by Entertainment Zones. Introduced 12 months ago, almost a third of the stores now feature these dedicated areas, which group together DVDs, CDs and books.
"The Entertainment Zones have been a great success for us," said Poundland chief executive Jim McCarthy. Sales of products in the Entertainment Zones, which also include mobile phone, computers and camera accessories, are up 16% year-on-year.
The popularity of its Shakespeare DVDs was an indication of Poundland's increased popularity among the AB demographic, he added.
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