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HMV's Simon Fox - 3

The retail boss on pre-owned, digital distribution - and the 3DS

GamesIndustry.biz Despite political attempts at intervention.
Simon Fox

Yes - and it would be great if we had the fastest broadband networks in Europe - and maybe we will in time. But it's going to take quite some time.

A bit like motorways, you feel that the more capacity is put down, the greater the file size and the greater the usage. It's evident with iPlayer, Facebook and everything else, the demands on our network just get bigger and bigger.

So I think for quite some time, the big games will be most effectively delivered to customers pre-burned on a piece of plastic - and we will see a packaged software market for quite some time. Possibly in decline, but nonetheless of considerable size.

That doesn't answer the question though - how do we as a retailer take part in the growth of digital? I can't give you an answer to that today, because it's not straightforward. It's not that the technology isn't straightforward, it's that how you make money isn't straightforward.

We own 50 per cent of a company called 7digital - we think they are a terrific company. We have prioritised music and books in terms of getting offers up-and-running quickly, and we're pleased we've done that. We can see how those businesses are profitable.

As I've said before, we don't want to just offer me-too, white label services that are available anywhere else - we want to work out what our point of difference is in digital, and how we make money from it. Frankly it's not straightforward.

GamesIndustry.biz Does that mean that increasing share in the existing packaged goods market is probably a higher priority then, in the short term, until such solutions become apparent?
Simon Fox

We pay our bills today out of the packaged software and hardware market, so as we look at the near term that remains critically important to us.

We fully understand the growth of digital, but it is easy to spend a great deal of money - either through start-up or acquisition - that ultimately isn't profitable.

GamesIndustry.biz We had a couple of price cuts from Sony and Microsoft last year on hardware - was that an important step?
Simon Fox

Yes, very important. It made a big difference, and particularly in a tougher economic environment the price point of a console is massively price sensitive.

GamesIndustry.biz Are you happy with the landscape in that respect at the moment?
Simon Fox

Yes, at the moment.

GamesIndustry.biz Finally - you're looking forward to the 3DS?
Simon Fox

Yes - I think the 3DS is the first really new handheld that we've seen for a long time - and I think it's vitally important that there's a fight back on the handhelds. The market is going to the iPhone and digital, so to have a really exciting new handheld gaming machine - with the software that goes with it - we're very excited about that.

GamesIndustry.biz And you anticipate a decent level of consumer interest?
Simon Fox

I think there'll be huge consumer interest. I think Nintendo always does a fantastic job of launching new products, so bring it on.

Simon Fox is CEO and MD of HMV UK & Ireland. Interview by Phil Elliott.

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