A LEGENDARY music shop is set to return to Southampton this week.

hmv will open its doors on the high street on Friday.

The store, which is creating 18 new jobs in the city, will be spread over 7,879 square feet and offer more than 19,000 different products.

These include 6,000 different vinyl products and a dedicated space for turntables from leading Hi Fi equipment distributor Henley Audio.

The store will also stock 5,500 different CDs, 3,400 films and TV shows on DVD and 4K HD Blu Ray, as well as 2,200 pop culture products and 522 different T-shirt designs.

The store will open in what is hmv’s 100th birthday year. The first 75 customers will receive a free pop culture swag bag, but all will be able to take advantage of amazing in-store offers, including 2-for-£6 paperback books across the best of classic cult fiction and music.

Daily Echo: hmv staff prepare to open in Southampton

Southampton shoppers can also use hmv’s brand-new 'hmv delivers' service, which allows customers to order any items not in store to be delivered direct to their door.

The store is expected to draw signings and performances from both British and international artists, as well as grassroots local bands.

Sharon Irving, Store Manager, told the Daily Echo: “It’s a pleasure to be back in Southampton offering the best in entertainment across music, film and TV. We can’t wait to open our doors and welcome in our customers with fantastic offers.”

Phil Halliday, hmv Managing Director, added: "We know customers in Southampton have missed us, so we're delighted to be heading back to a bigger and better location. hmv has a long history of offering signings and performances from amazing artists and bands in its stores, we can't wait to bring some incredible new fan events to Southampton soon."

hmv will be open at 176 to 178 High Street from 9am to 6.30pm Monday to Saturday and from 11am to 5pm on Sundays.

Boomtown Rats frontman Sir Bob Geldof cut the ribbon on Southampton’s previous hmv store on Above Bar Street when it opened in 1994.

It closed in 2018. At the time, bosses at HMV said the move was necessary to secure the firm’s long term future.

However, the company, which originally opened a Southampton store in the Bargate, also said they were actively looking at relocating within the city.