HMV’s latest initiative lifts morale and underlines its specialist credentials, says Natasha Devan

Having a workforce that is passionate about the product it sells is a huge advantage to a specialist retailer, and HMV has been trying to make the most of that with a new competition to highlight the talent among its staff.

In February, the retailer’s HR department launched ‘No Sleep ‘til Hammersmith’, an internal competition demonstrating the company’s active commitment to music. Eleven finalists, ranging from the Stafford branch’s Cyanide Serenity to Dublin’s The Half Pennies and Bayswater’s BB Manik, performed two songs for more than 200 people and a panel of judges chaired by HMV chief executive Simon Fox at London’s HMV Forum.

Winning band Hey! Alaska’s lead guitarist Ritch Allaway works as a sales assistant at HMV Stockton-on-Tees. His group will now play at HMV’s annual store manager’s conference at the Hammersmith Apollo on October 4, following in the footsteps of Kasabian and Friendly Fires, which performed for the managers last year.

“This really is a dream come true for us,” says Allaway. “Any unsigned act might think this is as good as it gets. But to know that we’re going to play live at the Hammersmith Apollo is just incredible, especially when the likes of David Bowie and Motorhead have performed there.”

Commitment to music

HMV HR director Steve West believes the initiative is a symbol of the retailer’s commitment to music. He instigated the contest to strike at the heart of the industry, stimulating staff with a platform to succeed.

“At HMV we feel that the motivation of our colleagues and their engagement with the business is extremely important,” he says. “Music is in our DNA. It’s important that our staff are fanatical about music, film and games. With our move into live venues, the competition was the perfect opportunity to showcase talent within the business.”

“We believe that the No Sleep ‘til Hammersmith initiative is very much reflective and symbolic of our whole people agenda. HMV has demonstrated that it can engineer its core identity as an entertainment retailer to enhance engagement and motivation.”

Chief executive Simon Fox said the buzz created by ‘No Sleep’ is testament to why so many people want to work for the business. “The initiative has created a real buzz among our stores, underlining once again just how much music is in our DNA. It’s why so many members of staff join the business in the first place,” he says.

And with the initiative having been a clear success, the company is now thinking if it is transferable to other product categories. “There is no reason why we wouldn’t also demonstrate how important film and gaming are to the company.

“If we could find a way to do this, it is quite likely we would,” explains HMV spokesperson Gennaro Castaldo.