Sainsbury’s is now the UK’s biggest vinyl retailer

Has it come to this?

Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has claimed it is now the UK’s biggest high street vinyl retailer.

After introducing a range of classic and contemporary records to its shelves in March for the first time in 25 years, the supermarket claims to have already taken an 8% market share, making it the biggest single vinyl retailers out there. The news was published in Sainsbury’s first quarter trading report.

While the country’s independent record shops watch on in disbelief, Sainsbury’s will be particularly buoyed that they are out-stripping supermarket rivals Tesco in the vinyl stakes, who introduced records to the aisles back in December.

Earlier this year, Sainsbury’s head of music and books defended the supermarket’s decision to enter the vinyl game by telling record buyers that “vinyl should not be elitist”. See you at the checkout on Record Store Day then?

Back in 2014, Urban Outfitters made a similar claim, only to have their argument shot down by Billboard. [via City AM]

Photo: David Hicks / Twitter