Station Mall mum on possible HMV lease takeover

Will a brand new Sunrise Records location take the place of the HMV at Station Mall?

Station Mall isn't saying.

Sunrise Records announced it has negotiated to lease 70 former HMV stores across Canada.

With only nine stores currently in operation, Sunrise announced over the weekend it will take over the locations of 70 existing HMV stores across Canada in a massive expansion of the company.

“We are excited to bring Sunrise nationwide, and would like to thank all of the suppliers and landlords who worked so closely with us to allow us to be a destination for physical music in Canada,” said Sunrise owner Doug Putnum in a news release.

The new stores will begin to open in April, with some locations already confirmed by the company.

The Station Mall location was not among the locations announced, but the company said it will be announcing new locations over the next few days.

In a call to Station Mall, management declined to confirm or deny that any negotiations have occurred or are occurring for the space currently occupied by HMV.

In total, HMV is closing 102 stores across Canada — 70 of which will soon be taken over by Sunrise stores.

It is unclear whether the Station Mall’s HMV store is one of the 70 new leases by Sunrise.

The HMV location at the Station Mall is currently in the process of liquidating its inventory.

The Station Mall itself is currently for sale by owner Algoma Central Corp.

In a news release issued by Sunrise today, the company said it is interested in hearing from current and former HMV employees looking for work.

“We want to let any former HMV employees know that we are opening, and we want to hear from them,” said Putman in the release.

Sunrise will support independant music by stocking CDs by local artists in each store.

“We want to support independent Canadian artists more than ever. We feel it’s an obligation, not to mention we love discovering talented new artists,” said Putman.

Sunrise plans to increase the assortment of CDs in the store by 50 per cent more than HMV, expand the amount of clothing and music and entertainment-related merchandise.

As a result of the resurgence of vinyl records, Sunrise plans to carry over 2,000 titles per store in that format.

The new stores will also continue to sell licensed figurines, plush toys and other pop culture items currently found at HMV stores.