HMV stops taking online orders

BANKRUPT MUSIC RETAILER HMV has stopped taking orders through its online store HMV.com, which has been replaced with a notice of administration today.

92 year-old music retailer HMV announced that it had gone into administration on Tuesday, having called in Deloitte to try to find a buyer. It looks like the administrator doesn't see the company's online retail business as a priority now, as HMV's website was suspended today.

A statement on the HMV website reads, "The website HMV.com has been suspended following the appointment of the Joint Administrators. No purchases can be made online until further notice."

However, HMV had previously indicated that it would continue to trade as normal, saying in a statement on Tuesday, "The Directors of the Company understand that it is the intention of the administrators, once appointed, to continue to trade whilst they seek a purchaser for the business."

We don't mean to be pessimistic, but the closure of the website could signal that HMV is not confident that it will find a suitable buyer. However, Sky News reports that a few parties have shown interest in buying the failed music chain, though it didn't name any potential buyers.

It's still unclear whether HMV.com is gone for good. We have contacted HMV and Deloitte for further information on the website closure, but neither firm has yet responded to our request for comment. µ