Stock delays affect UK music retailers

Severe stock delays could dent the Christmas sales of many music stores in the UK, as distributors Arvato apologise for the inconvenience caused by a backlog of orders.

As Music Week report, HMV, Amazon and many independent retailers are currently receiving orders up to 4-5 days late instead of the 24 hour delivery norm.

“Some shops are waiting on orders from around the 20th November. appears to have completely underestimated how busy Christmas would be – especially with vinyl sales, which face the longest delays,” one shop told the publication recently.

A spokesperson from the distributor has responded with the following statement: “We’d like to apologise to anyone who has been affected by a delay in receiving their stock and can assure them that we’re doing everything we can to rectify the situation as soon as possible.”

Arvato handles the distribution for Universal Music, Warner Music, Sony Music, and other big labels.