Branding teaser - Zavvi - UK Business Labs

**Mark** · #1 (**permalink**) 22-12-2008, 12:40 PM

Now, without doing any research, who are Zavvi?...

**Ray Stewart** · #2 (**permalink**) 22-12-2008, 12:57 PM

It is the ludicrous new name for the Virgin record shops

**NikkiPilkington** · #3 (**permalink**) 22-12-2008, 01:16 PM

They're Virgin aren;t they? I haven't paid much attention to the rebranding, but thought it was a while ago?

I notice Virgin Radio has been rebranded as Absolute too....

**fantasycouriers** · #4 (**permalink**) 22-12-2008, 01:57 PM

Virgin records. I knew that!!

**BITS** · #5 (**permalink**) 22-12-2008, 02:21 PM

Virgin!!! I noticed this at the weekend while shopping, no idea what the story behind it is though?

mandyjane · #6 (**permalink**) 22-12-2008, 04:03 PM

I agree that the new branding for Virgin records could be viewed as uneccesary, but branding is an important issue for all of us, especially in the ISV business. It can be very worrying trying to get it just right, I came across this really helpful article that I thought I'd share..can you share any more branding tips? Software Branding: Introduction | Software Marketing Secrets

**Daniel :: EZPZ Hosting** · #7 (**permalink**) 22-12-2008, 08:44 PM

Didn't Virgin sell their Virgin Megastores? IIRC its nothing to do with Virgin anymore so its not just a rebrand.

**Daniel :: EZPZ Hosting** · #8 (**permalink**) 24-12-2008, 12:07 PM

Apparently Zavvi have now gone into administration too... another one bites the dust!

Dragon-Media-Group · #9 (**permalink**) 24-12-2008, 05:34 PM

Zavvi wasn't a Virgin company. Zavvi bought the Virgin Megastores, it wasn't rebranding for the sake of it. Im not sure how they thought they could make a success of the business when Virgin had never been able to make it profitable. There was no significant difference in the way the company ran (at least so it appeared to me) and thus the chain continued to lose money. Oh well.

**uglydoll** · #10 (**permalink**) 24-12-2008, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dragon-Media-Group

Zavvi wasn't a Virgin company. Zavvi bought the Virgin Megastores, it wasn't rebranding for the sake of it. Im not sure how they thought they could make a success of the business when Virgin had never been able to make it profitable. There was no significant difference in the way the company ran (at least so it appeared to me) and thus the chain continued to lose money. Oh well.

My understanding is that it was a management buyout at Virgin Megastores, and they have spent the last year or so re-branding as Zavvi. Feel sorry for the poor s*ds who stumped up their hard-earned for that venture!

Dragon-Media-Group · #11 (**permalink**) 24-12-2008, 10:47 PM

Yep, thats more or less my understanding. I was just kinda making the point that its not so much a question of rebranding as a new company taking over. To my mind rebranding implies that Zavvi remained a member of the Virgin group of companies.

**Daniel :: EZPZ Hosting** · #12 (**permalink**) 25-12-2008, 12:19 AM

The buyout was reported to be £1 but I'm sure they invested a fair bit. Its a shame to see them go anyway - I used to shop in there a fair bit.

Dragon-Media-Group · #13 (**permalink**) 25-12-2008, 11:14 AM

I shopped in there occasionally but I primarily buy music and movies online, which is becoming more and more common. Since the transition to Zavvi the already unprofitable shops seemed to go downhill to me, with stock piled high in cardboard boxes but the prices remained the same.

**Conceptstore** · #14 (**permalink**) 07-01-2009, 09:56 AM

As i understand Zavvi use to get their stock from Woolsworths so they kind of had a headsup that there were going to be problems after WW's shut down.

**OldWelshGuy** · #15 (**permalink**) 07-01-2009, 12:15 PM

Woolworths wholesale division employed 300+ and was profitable. I had expected Smiths or menzies to go for it, but they couldn't get finance apparently.

I mean why should the banks agree to lend their hard earned money?..... Oh hang on, they DIDN'T earn it did they, they lost it and WE gave them our money not to help us out of recession.

GingerChris · #16 (**permalink**) 23-01-2009, 06:02 PM

Zavvi rebranding (again) back to Virgin Megastores apparantly