The 363 Oxford Street address hosted the very first HMV store in 1921, opened by composer Edward Elgar, and was central to the development of British popular music and culture. "We feel really good on the future of physical stores for retail," Putman told Reuters in an interview. The store will sell 8,000 different vinyl albums, 12,000 CDs, music merchandise and a wide range of music technology. HMV says its vinyl sales are significantly ahead of UK annual market growth of 18%, and account for half its physical music sales. Councillor Geoff Barraclough of Westminster City Council, which oversees Oxford Street, said the HMV store represented what they wanted to do on Oxford Street: "an experience beyond traditional retail".

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Persons: Edward Elgar, Doug Putman, Putman, John Lennon, Cher, Elton John, Michael Jackson, Brian Epstein, Epstein, George Martin, Geoff Barraclough, James Davey, Jan Harvey Organizations: Black, Oxford, HMV, Reuters, Wars, Marvel, Echo, Beatles, Westminster City Council, Oxford Street, Thomson Locations: Britain's, Dublin, Antwerp, Westminster