HMV Brighton: Churchill Square shop opens after new store renovations

A fresh look for the store including new dedicated spaces for pop culture are just some of the improvements made to the shop following weeks of renovations.

The Churchill Square store, which had its grand re-opening today, welcomed customers back with open arms with a range of unique Brighton touches to the shop.

Kane Griffiths, the first customer at the new shop, said: “I’m absolutely flabbergasted, I was so happy to see that it was open again, it’s one of the main reasons I come into Churchill Square.

Kane Griffiths (Image: The Argus)

“It looks a lot nicer now, you can easily walk around. It used to be really cluttered but now it looks sleek and it’s easier to find what you’re looking for.

“I’ll definitely be back, I had to be in for opening day.”

New improvements to the shop included new lighting as well as design changes to make the shop more “browseable” and show of products.

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A greater emphasis has been placed on pop culture merchandise as well as anime and K-pop which has seen a large amount of growth in recent years.

Unique Brighton features to the store include Fatboy Slim posters and murals of the Palace Pier.

Donald Mak, from Portslade, said: “I got the bus but it was too slow so when I got to Waitrose on Western Road I ran from there.

Donald Mak (Image: The Argus)

“My dedication paid off because I got the goodie bag [given to the first 25 people to make a purchase]. I got here early to get the goodie bag but I’ll be back later to browse properly.

“It’s a Hooked on a Swing type of feeling. When I saw the news that it re-opened today I had to get here.”

Shop managers added that the re-opening had been really positive and that customers had reacted well to the new features.

The new re-opening is the 30th store to be renovated since 2021. The company also has stores in Crawley, Hastings and Eastbourne.

The Churchill Square store is planning to run a number of events for the community within the store's new dedicated spaces including cosplay events and live music from local bands.

Unique Brighton touches around the store (Image: The Argus)

Louis Cherry-Downes, Store manager for HMV, said: “We used to really fill our stores but now we’ve opened it up and its more visually appealing and a more browseable experience.

“I’ve seen a couple of real regulars and they cant believe how much space there is and how much better the lighting is.

“Now we can really showcase some of the products which are gorgeous. We couldn’t show them off properly before but now we can make it really pop and sing now.

“I’ve got two young children who will absolutely love all of this. I’m more excited for them really and it’s a reflection for that generation of customer.”