Exclusive:
HMV saviour blasts tech giants over tax – as he revealed he looked at buying DIY chain Homebase
The boss of HMV has launched a withering attack on online giants over their tax affairs.
Doug Putman, which saved the historic music chain five years ago, fumed: “Why don’t you look at the biggest people making money, Google, Facebook, Amazon? F***king tonnes of money there.”
He told the Mirror: “I believe in paying tax, I always have, I think it’s a great thing to do. We’re lucky to operate in countries like Canada, the US and the UK.
“You pay your fair share, you shouldn’t hide your money. You shouldn’t be doing these things that hide your money offshore.
“At some point, someone is going to have to step in and force these large conglomerates – like Google and Amazon – to literally pay their fair share. It’s crazy to me. You have a lot of people doing very well.”
The Canadian businessman was speaking as he warned it was likely to put store openings on hold next year because of Labour’s increase to employers’ national insurance in the Budget.
The chain – which has just over 120 UK stores – had been earmarking between five and 10 openings.
Mr Putman also revealed he held talks to buy the whole of DIY chain Homebase before its recent collapse.
“We looked at Homebase as a whole,” he confirmed. “We had an idea, we looked through it all. We didn’t think it would progress as quickly as it did.”
The owner of discount chain The Range, billionaire retail magnate Chris Dawson, ended up buying 70 Homebase stores and the brand, saving 1,600 jobs, after it went into administration last week.
But there are still concerns for 2,000 workers at the remaining 49 Homebase stores, and at its head office.
Mr Putman add: “The Budget makes me even happier that we didn’t do it because of the extra employee costs.”
He also said HMV could open standalone book shops across the country if a venture within its London flagship branch on Oxford Street is a success.
One floor of the famous store has been given over to books, from music-related biographies to fiction, amid growing appetite from younger readers.
