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Entertainment UK

From Alfawiki
Entertainment UK Limited
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryRetail supply and distribution
PredecessorRecord Merchandisers Ltd
Founded1966
FounderEMI Music Publishing
Defunct20 April 2015
FateEntered administration; dissolved
Headquarters
Middlesex
,
United Kingdom
Area served
United Kingdom
Key people
Mike Thomas (IT and Business Development Director), Graham Barnetson (Sales & Marketing Director), Paul Ludlam (Trading Director)
ProductsBooks, Consoles, DVDs, Games, Music
OwnerWoolworths (United Kingdom), Sony Music Publishing
Number of employees
375 (2008)
ParentWoolworths Group, EMI Music Publishing

Overview

Entertainment UK Limited (commonly known as EUK) operated as a supply and distribution firm within the retail sector, functioning as a fully owned subsidiary under the Woolworths Group. Both EUK and Woolworths plc entered administration managed by Deloitte on 26 November 2008. The company reported an annual turnover exceeding £1.4 billion and offered a product range surpassing 160,000 items.

Company Profile

Founded in 1966 originally under the name Record Merchandisers Ltd by EMI Music Publishing, Entertainment UK was based in Middlesex, United Kingdom. It specialized in distributing a variety of retail products including Books, Consoles, DVDs, Games, and Music. By 2008, EUK generated revenues of approximately £1.22 billion, with a net profit of £12.3 million. At that time, the company employed around 375 staff members.

Key figures in the business included Mike Thomas, who served as IT and Business Development Director; Graham Barnetson, Sales & Marketing Director; and Paul Ludlam, Trading Director. Ownership of the company was shared between Woolworths (United Kingdom) and Sony Music Publishing, with its parent companies listed as Woolworths Group and EMI Music Publishing.

History

Entertainment UK originated in 1966 under the name Record Merchandisers Limited, established by EMI Music Publishing to supply music products to general retailers. Over time, it evolved into a collaborative venture involving multiple record labels. Woolworths emerged as Entertainment UK's principal client, and in 1986, Record Merchandisers Limited was purchased by Kingfisher plc. Two years later, in 1988, the company rebranded itself as Entertainment UK (EUK).Template:Fix/category[citation needed]

After Kingfisher's demerger in 2001, EUK became part of the Woolworths Group. In 2006, Woolworths Group expanded EUK by acquiring Total Home Entertainment Distribution Limited (THE), integrating it into the EUK division.[1] Subsequently, in November 2007, EUK secured ownership of Bertram Books, a leading wholesaler and distributor in the book industry.[2]

Administration

As the most lucrative division within Woolworths Group, EUK was the segment management aimed to preserve while attempting to divest the retail operations and associated liabilities. Nevertheless, after unsuccessful restructuring negotiations, both EUK and its parent company entered administration on 28 November, ceasing all deliveries immediately.[3] By 12 December 2008, redundancies affected 700 employees.[4][5] Despite this, EUK continued operations with a downsized team of approximately 375 staff. On 14 January 2009, Deloitte announced an additional workforce reduction of 134 employees across all four remaining EUK locations while continuing efforts to liquidate warehouse inventory to help repay outstanding debts.

Following several "active discussions" with potential buyers for Bertram Books,[6] administrators confirmed the sale of Bertram Books to Smiths News.[7]

On 13 March 2009, representatives from Gardners Books, headquartered in Eastbourne, East Sussex, visited Entertainment UK's automated warehouse facility on Auriol Drive in Greenford to negotiate a potential lease acquisition. At one stage, reports indicated an agreement valued at £1,500,000 had been reached for the lease purchase.

Ultimately, Entertainment UK was formally dissolved on 20 April 2015.[8]

Awards and recognitions

Entertainment UK earned several prestigious honors, including the 'European Supply Chain Excellence' award in 2005 and the 'Global Retail Technology Forum' accolade in 2006. Additionally, the company was recognized with the 'Best Retail Buying Team' award at the 2006 MCV Industry Excellence Awards.

Operations

In 2007, Entertainment UK expanded its client base by forming new agreements with Zavvi (previously known as Virgin Megastores) and Asda. The company also served prominent retailers such as Morrisons, Sainsbury's, W H Smith, Tesco, along with managing the entertainment inventory for Borders. Entertainment UK operated two distinct Amazon Marketplace outlets on Amazon.co.uk: "market plus," managed by its offshore branch Entertainment Plus (Guernsey) Ltd, and "direct-offers," which functioned as the UK-based stock clearance division.

Following Entertainment UK's entry into administration, Zavvi faced difficulties securing stock under advantageous terms from alternative suppliers, ultimately leading to its own administration on 24 December 2008.

References

  1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named History
  2. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  3. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Reuters
  5. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  6. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  7. ↑ Acquisition of the business and assets of the Bertram groupTemplate:Fix/category[permanent dead link] Smiths News PLC
  8. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).

External links

Template:Wikinews

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