PMT purchase Sound Control Shops

Simon Gilson, the co-owner of Professional Music Technology (PMT) has told MI Pro that his retail chain, which recently bought the Norwich, Manchester Salford and Leeds City stores from the defunct Sound Control, has now completed the purchase of the Turnkey/Soho Soundhouse brands.

Rumours that the store, situated at 114 to 116 Charing Cross Road in London’s ‘tin pan alley’ region, would be closing have also been confirmed by Gilson. “There won’t be a West End presence for a while,” he said. “To be frank, we are not particularly proud of our online presence at the moment, so the purchase of Turnkey and its assets means we now have the shop’s excellent retail portal, which will now become our web-based operation.

“In time, there will be a new Turnkey/Soho Soundhouse store, but it will be a matter of the right premises coming along. Believe me, it will be great to get a good, new West End store – Soho Soundhouse is one of the longest standing and most well known MI brands – but it has to be the right place at the right time.”

Gilson went on to reveal that PMT had been involved in negotiations for Turnkey before, but were outbid by Sound Control just as everything seemed to be going through. The chain had also been in the frame for the Academy of Sound purchase, but that time the asking price was simply viewed as excessive by the Southend-based chain.

“This has been a very exciting four weeks for PMT,” concluded Gilson. “It stands there alongside our opening day in Southend in 1991 and the opening of our Birmingham superstore. After the disappointment of the Academy and Turnkey negotiations, I have to say it is sweet to finally get Turnkey, as well as a couple of Academy stores.”

PMT was also able to confirm that the respective managers of the stores listed above, Colin Ford, Carl Jones and Giles Massingham, would continue in their roles, as well as all the store staff being kept on."- M.I Pro

This fascinates me- what are PMT going to do that is so different from Sound Control? They will be stocking the same products selling at silly prices! I fully expect to see them pop in 3 years...Th purchase of Turnkey and Soho Soundhouse is an interesting one. Turnkey has got a great web site so i can see their thiking behind this one however i still dont understand in the long run what they expect to do differently from the wy Sound Control ran the establishments. I guess we will wait and see.

LIMS Latest...

Record numbers promise best UK MI trade show for decades
With just eight days to go until the first London International Music Show (LIMS), the organiser of the show, MB Events is reporting pre-registration trade figures that are already going way beyond the numbers of the best of the most recent BMF trade shows. With trade registrations reportedly increasing by several dozen per day – and the traditionally good turnouts from the public at shows such as Drummer Live and the London Guitar Show (which go to make up two of the four shows at LIMS) the MI industry in the UK is daring to compare the new show to the halcyon days of the BMF in the 1980s at Olympia.

Clive Morton of MB has told MI Pro that all the VIP trade badges have now been mailed, but added that more can still be done. “If you know a retailer who for what ever reason has not received their badge, they can phone 0844 557 2388 to trace their badges, or they can collect them at the trade desk in the concourse,” he said.

He went on to point out that, as an added incentive, trade visitors do not have to pre-register. They can simply turn up and register at the trade desk. They must, however, bring some form of ID to prove that they work in the MI industry.

“If dealers do register online,” continued Morton, “it gives them instant access to the show at any of the five entrances instantly.”

I am pretty excited about this now. I have my V.I.P Pass from Ashton Music and i will be there on the Thursday looks like it's going to be great...