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Fopp Byres Road closes its doors landing a 'desperate blow' to neighbouring traders

Tributes have been paid to the staff at the Byres Road store.

Music and home media store Fopp on Byres Road has closed.

The lights are off and padlocks firmly on, after staff were told the shop was closing.

The West End store has been lost as part of the rescue deal for parent company HMV.

 Lost: Fopp on Byres Road has been closed as part of the deal to save HMV
Lost: Fopp on Byres Road has been closed as part of the deal to save HMV

Fopp's sister store on Union Street will remain open.

It's not immediately clear what the rationale is for stores remaining or going.

Glasgow West End Today has contacted administrators KPMG for more detail.

Meanwhile, tributes were being paid to the staff at the Byres Road store.

Social media was awash with praise for their customer service and knowledge of music and film.

Glasgow North MP Patrick Grady said on Twitter: "Very sorry to hear @FoppByresRoad fall victim to #HMV closures & restructuring.

"It was an iconic presence in the West End & this is a loss to the cultural scene as well as impact on jobs & economy."

Julia Smith wrote: "I feel bad for the always lovely and helpful staff.

"The dog is going to miss visiting you as much as we are."

HMV had been in administration since December 28.

Three HMV stores in Scotland will close after Canadian firm Sunrise Records bought the collapsed music chain.

The firm will buy 100 stores across the UK out of administration, securing 1,487 jobs, the BBC reported.

But 27 stores will close, including outlets in Ayr and the Braehead Shopping Centre near Glasgow, and the Fopp store on Byres Road in Glasgow.

HMV in Dundee, Aberdeen, East Kilbride, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Livingston and Stirling remain open.

A Fopp outlet in Edinburgh is also unaffected by the closure programme.

 Locked: Door to the store was shut and secure on Tuesday
Locked: Door to the store was shut and secure on Tuesday

Fopp began as a one-man stall in Glasgow, Scotland in 1981.

The name "Fopp" comes from the title of a song by the Ohio Players on their 1975 album Honey.

The chain ran into trouble in 2007 when it ceased trading.

But HMV came to the rescue then, reopening a number of stores.

Recent years has seen a maelstrom of change in the home media market.

Streaming sites and giant movie and media platforms Netflix and Amazon have squeezed High Street retailers.

Byres Road has seen a steady stream of retail casualties.

Vodafone closed its sizeable store across the road from Fopp just after Christmas.

Businesses have long complained about high rents adding to the pressures from online retailers.

'Extremely sad'

David Howat, who chairs Byres Road & Lanes Business Improvement District / Visit West End, said: "It is extremely sad to hear that Fopp on Byres Road is to close.

"This will be devasting news for the employees there.

"But more than that, it is a desperate blow to Byres Road and all the other business owners who are battling against extremely difficult trading conditions.

"I have no doubt that for many people, a trip to Byres Road would have always included a visit to Fopp.

"There has been a record shop on Byres Road from the days of Woolworths and Listen.

"At the Business Improvement District we will be working hard to try to get local and national politicians to appreciate the importance of having a vibrant High Street, in the hope that some action can be taken to moderate business rates, and other steps taken to breathe life into local shopping areas before they are lost completely."

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