Sainsbury’s supermarket will stop selling CDs, sale of vinyl records to continue
CD sales still rake in £115million globally, but the supermarket says customers now go online for entertainment.
UK supermarket Sainsbury’s has announced it will no longer sell CDs and DVDs, although it will continue to stock vinyl records.
The company says that “customers increasingly go online for entertainment”, which may come as no surprise given the rise of streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music and Netflix.
“Earlier this year we took the decision to gradually phase out the sale of DVDs and CDs, so that we can dedicate extra space to food and popular products like clothing and homewares,” Sainsbury’s added (via BBC News).
The CD market was worth £115 million in 2020, but it’s still shrinking. Vinyl record sales, meanwhile, are at their highest since the 90s, but the format was worth less than the CD market last year at £86 million. Sainsbury’s has been stocking vinyl records since 2016 and will continue to sell them in 171 stores.
A spokesperson for the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) told the BBC that “The CD has proved exceptionally successful for nearly 40 years and remains a format of choice for many music fans who value sound quality, convenience and collectability.”
They continued: “Although demand has been following a long-term trend as consumers increasingly transition to streaming, resilient demand is likely to continue for many years, enhanced by special editions and other collectable releases.”
“If some retailers now see the format as less of a priority, this will create a further opportunity for others, such as independent shops and specialist chains such as HMV, to cater to the continuing demand.”
Supermarket competitors Tesco, Asda and Morrisons are yet to follow Sainsbury’s in the phasing out of the Compact Disc.
