HMV Belfast survives latest twist

The Castle Street outlet is one of 100 stores included in the deal, safeguarding the future of nearly 1,500 staff.

Sunrise, which is owned by Doug Putman, beat off competition from the likes of Mike Ashley for the stricken retailer and will acquire 100 stores across the UK.

However, 27 unprofitable stores will close with immediate effect, resulting in 455 redundancies.

Administrator KPMG will retain a further 122 employees at warehouse functions to assist in winding down operations.

Mr Putman said: “We are delighted to acquire the most iconic music and entertainment business in the UK and add nearly 1,500 employees to our growing team.

“By catering to music and entertainment lovers, we are incredibly excited about the opportunity to engage customers with a diverse range of physical format content and replicate our success in Canada.

“We know the physical media business is here to stay and we greatly appreciate all the support from the suppliers, landlords, employees and, most importantly, our customers.”