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A History LessonIn 1984, a young and ambitious Brit by the name of Steve Gibbs was privileged enough to witness one of the first public unveilings in England of what was then a brand new and exciting music carrier, namely the Compact Disc, or CD as it is more popularly known. He travelled back from that London showcase on the train and began to sow seeds in his mind that this new format was "very VERY much the way forward for the music industry". He scribbled down a few ideas on a wee notepad, including a plan to perhaps one day open a dedicated CD-only store in his home town.The plan grew embryonically over a few months, and as he watched the slow but steady growth of CD player sales (in the hardware chain he was working for at the time), he became more and more convinced that his CD-only store was something of a winner. He felt that his music stock knowledge gained from a youthful self-interest (and a helpful 5-year spell as a manager/area manager for Virgin Retail in the late 70's) would go more than well with his business acumen gained from being in the frontline when an employer became listed on the stock market. How could the two together fail he thought?
The first ever sale was a double CD copy of Joan Sutherland's Greatest Hits, and in the 11 years since that initial tinkling of the PinPoint till, he has watched very many trends, acts, artists and so-called stars and trends come and go whilst always staying firm to his business beliefs. His ideals were manifold, but based on one simple premise ... that he wanted to create the kind of independent music store that he remembered from his youth .... a helpful friendly store containing as many titles as he could cram into the space available (or as funds would allow) and match that with informed staff, keen prices and a 'hands on' service .... the kind of place where a member of the public (if they are in the know) would go first to look for their musical requirements ... or last .... once they had exhausted the high street chains/supermarkets and failed in their quest. From the very opening day to now, service has been of the paramount importance, and each day brings new customers looking to hunt down their needs, and Steve and his staff are quick to point out that "if its not in stock, we'll get it as quickly as we can" .... and from anywhere in the world too! (As testament to that commitment to finding customers requirements, 'special orders' still amount to some 14% of the total turnover of the business!)
The market in CD has ever changed and PinPoint has managed to sucessfully anticipate and react to whatever the record companies 'give' us to sell. PinPoint is fiercely independent and proud of it! Perhaps it can be YOUR chance to now own that independence, as Steve is planning to 'retire' from the music business and emigrate the UK. PinPoint Music, the One-Stop CD Shop is 'up for grabs' and this web site has been dedicated to finding exactly the right kind of buyer for the business. |