HMV returns to Cork opening its third Irish outlet in Merchant's Quay 

Record store closed its 16 Irish outlets in 2013

The former HMV store on Cork's Patrick's Street, now occupied by Golden Discs. Picture: Denis Scannell

Music and record chain HMV is to open a new store in Cork, more than ten years after it departed the city, highlighting the resurgence in demand for physical media.

The iconic UK brand confirmed to the Irish Examiner that it is to take up space in the Merchant's Quay Shopping Centre and has begun recruiting for positions in the store. However, the company has yet to announce an opening date.

It’ll be HMV’s third store in Ireland, following openings in Dublin and Limerick.

HMV has enjoyed a roller coaster history. Along with other big brands like Virgin and Golden Discs, it dominated Ireland's main streets, in previous years, to meet the demand for records, tapes, DVDs, posters and t-shirts. The company's fortunes peaked in the late 1990s when it operated hundreds of stores across major cities and towns.

However, the rise of the internet with MP3 music downloads, movie streaming and online shopping provided increased competition. HMV entered administration in 2013, and all 16 outlets in Ireland were shut, including their flagship Cork premises at the former Pavilion Cinema site on St Patrick's Street, which was later acquired by Irish music chain Golden Discs.

Despite further challenges such as covid pandemic shutdowns, the continued demand from consumers for brick-and-mortar shopping outlets, combined with rising demand for vinyl records, saw HMV expand again.

In 2023, the chain opened its first store in Ireland in more than a decade on Dublin's Henry Street and then Limerick's Crescent Shopping Centre in May of this year.