UPDATE: All Irish HMV stores closed

All 16 Irish HMV stores have closed their doors today, as bosses seek to go into examinership.

It transpires that HMV Ireland has not technically been in examinership for the last 24 hours, unlike its UK counterpart, who confirmed they had appointed an administrator yesterday - the two are in fact separate business entities. Following the National Consumer Agency (NCA)'s condemnation of HMV Ireland's decision not to accept gift vouchers - urging them to honour them "with immediate effect" - stores then closed their doors, with a plan to reopen once the administration status has been obtained.

Chief Executive of the Consumers' Association of Ireland, Dermott Jewell, said;
“The stores are open and it is business as usual but they will not honour a contract with people who have vouchers. It is a very poor way of doing business and an extraordinary step to take if the administrators really want to encourage people to come through the doors.”

The music giant, which opened in London in 1921, announced yesterday morning that Deloitte would be appointed as administrator to its 239 UK and Irish stores, but that it would continue trading while a buyer was sought. The administrator's controversial decision not to accept store gift vouchers was met with hostility by many customers yesterday.