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News Reprieve for town’sHMVstore


AMAIDSTONE store has been saved fromclosure by a Canadianmusic giant. HMV went into administration


Staff at HMV in Fremlin Walk


have been told their jobs are safe after Sunrise Records launched a multi-million pound bail-out of the collapsed retail chain. The county town’s branch is


one of 100 plucked fromadminis- tration, in a move that has se- cured 1,487 jobs nationally. But stores in Bluewater and


Tunbridge Wells are among 27 earmarked for closure, with 455 redundancies.Afurther 122ware- house jobs are also expected to go in the comingweeks. Sunrise’s chief executive Doug


Putman described HMV as “the most iconic music and entertain-


Joblessman’s


£200 tile fine A JOBLESS man punched and broke ametal tile in apolice station after spending a night in a sound- proof room, a court heard. Jason Barnes (45), ofKing Street,


appeared at Maidstone Magis- trates Court for criminal damage charges afterbendinga tile inanin- terviewroomwall. Julie Farvarce, prosecuting, said


Barnes had been brought into Maidstonepolice stationonJanuary 3 for a different alleged offence. However, due to overcrowding


in the station, he had to stay overnight,where he puncheda tile in thewall out of anger. Police discovered the broken tile


withBarnes’ bloodonthewall.The court heard that the wall would have to be deep-cleaned and fixed as a result. The court heard Barnes had a


“lengthy” list of convictions, in- cluding thefts and shoplifting. John Connor, defending, said:


“Barnes was arrested near Maid- stone railway station with a war- rant for an unrelated offence. He was very frustrated when police told himhewould have to be kept overnight, due to the station being overcrowded. “Barnes then vented his frustra-


tion at the situation by punching thewall and denting the tile.” Barnes admitted the offence and


was fined £200 for the damage.He joked to the court that he had just got his court fines down to £20. Chairman of the bench Nigel


Cox said: “You had better stop of- fending, then.”


A picture by previous competition winner RogerWilkins


ment business in the UK”. He said that he had wanted to


save the entire business, but added: “You can only lose so much money on those stores be- fore you need tomake a change." The rescue package he an-


nounced, after previously acquir- ing HMV’s Canadian operations, ended weeks of uncertainty for Maidstone staff.


in December for the second time in six years. Hilco, the company behind the


first bail-out in 2013, cited a “tsunami” of retail problems for the latest collapse, including busi- ness rate levels and competition online. HMV sold 31% of all physical


music in the UK in 2018, worth around £118.8m. It accounted for 23%of allDVDsales, and itsmar- ket share had been growing. But the overall physical music mar- ket, say industry experts, is shrinking and is expected to fall by a further 17%this year.


Mr Putman, however, believes


there is still a place for high street music retail. He told the BBC: “It is very


clear that the customer wants more selection on vinyl, more depth of catalogue. There’s no doubt that online is a big part of overall retail sales, but people like to come into a store, have an ex- perience, talk with someone who understands music, loves music, loves video and entertainment.” He added that Sunrise Records’


decision onwhichHMV stores to close had been based on the lev- els of “profitability and landlord support”.


Park’s beauty caught on film


PHOTOGRAPHS of Maidstone’s much-lovedMote Park go on display at the town’smuseumthismonth. The exhibition includes large


prints entered over the last six years in the popular photo competition that uses the park as its focus. “Moments from Mote Park” runs


from February 6 to March 2, in the CaféGallery atMaidstoneMuseum. Alan Frith, Mote Park’s manager,


said: “It’s a beautiful site that changeswith each season.” The competition,which started in


2013, opens for entries this year fromMarch 1-August 31. The categories are: Landscapes,


Seasons andWildlife. Photos can be taken at any time of year within Mote Park.


Car damaged after club row


A DRUNK man smashed a car mirror after being thrown out of a nightclub inMaidstone, a court heard. Nathaniel Ferarrio (20) was at


Bierkeller onNewYear’s Eve, on a drunken night out with a group of friends. Prosecuting, James Nichols


told Maidstone Magistrates Court: “At about 2am, Mr Ferar- riowas removed fromBierkeller and ultimately kicked the wing mirror on a Ford Fiesta parked in the road. “The door staff then followed


him as he left, with Ferarrio shouting abusive language at


the bouncers.” Ferarrio was arrested after


causing damage estimated at ap- proximately £100 to the car. HughRoberts, defending, told


the court that there was a reason that sparked the incident. The court heard Ferarrio’s


group of friends started arguing with others frominside the club, and he felt he had to go in and help. Mr Roberts said: “He recalls


being picked up by the arms and legs by the door staff, and being physically ejected from the club onto Bank Street. “Itwas his state of intoxication


that resulted in his actions, and that was the reason he acted the way he did. “He is not a great drinker, and


kicked out in frustration.” Ferarrio left college a year ago


and nowis a roofer and labourer. Chairman of the bench, Jean


Sanderson, said: “You are here on a criminal damage offence and being drunk and disorderly in a public place. “Sadly things happen on New


Year’s that don’t happen on any other day of the year.” He was given a 12-month con-


ditional discharge and ordered to pay a £265 fine.


Maidstone March 2019 31


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