Rough Trade, a leading independent music retailer, announced this year plans to increase its UK footprint with the opening of a large new store in Liverpool.
The announcement follows a phase of expansion for the independent, which over the previous five years tripled its share of the UK vinyl market.
Just a few days before its Record Store Day debut on Saturday, April 20, the 6500 square foot store is set to open on Thursday, April 18.
Along with locations in East, West, and Central London, Bristol, and Nottingham, the new store is expected to become Rough Trade’s sixth and largest location in the UK. This announcement comes after news of Rough Trade’s earlier this year European market expansion and the upcoming opening of a flagship store in Berlin on April 18, 2024.
Rich Nemeth, Head of Retail at Rough Trade said:
“We are very excited to be coming to Liverpool, a fantastic city with world-famous musical heritage, known for its community. For me, it’s important that we can offer the best and widest range of vinyl records that will live up to fans’ expectations and present the best in-store events and fantastic customer service. We have recruited a fantastic team, with a vast range of music knowledge, who are all very excited to welcome our customers to the new store. We aim for Rough Trade Liverpool to become a central hub for music fans of Liverpool and to reflect the rich and diverse music scene.”
The new store will be two stories, with the record store and café on the ground floor serving Dark Arts Coffee. On the first floor, there is a dedicated venue space that can accommodate 290 people, along with a fully functional bar that exclusively serves a selection of Signature Brew beers on tap.
The ground floor will open on April 18 as part of the staggered launch, with the first floor and venue space opening completely in May. That month will mark the beginning of the live in-store events programme, which will feature a packed schedule of performances including headline performances by Jordan Rakei, Villagers, Bess Atwell, Alfie Templeman, and Seasick Steve.Along with Content, Rough Trade hosts in-store events at their brand-new, cutting-edge venue located in the centre of the city. In 2024, the retailer will also collaborate with Sound City Liverpool, a three-day festival programme that presents the finest up-and-coming artists to music enthusiasts in independent venues throughout the city.
There will be a large selection of vinyl records available for purchase in the Liverpool store, covering a diverse array of musical genres. Along with an excellent curation of books, an exciting selection of new and catalogue releases, exclusive partnerships, limited-edition capsules, and a quality pre-loved section, Rough Trade will be offering new and improved core merchandise lines.
Like in all Rough Trade stores, Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), Rough Trade’s charity partner, will be represented at till points. Proceeds from sales will go towards funding CALM’s vital work in suicide awareness and prevention.
A one-of-a-kind artwork will be made by Liverpool-based design firm Dorothy and hung in the Rough Trade Liverpool entrance. The mapping project, “Scene Here: Liverpool,” will celebrate the history of the music scene in the city from the 1950s to the present.
Rough Trade and Dorothy will highlight the clubs and venues that have contributed to Liverpool’s status as one of the world’s most influential and creative music cities, Liverpool is extending an invitation to store patrons to add to a feature wall.
Customers can follow the wall’s development as it changes and reacts to contributions over the next few months, and they can share their memories online or in-store.
READ MORE: ROUGH TRADE TO OPEN A NEW LARGE STORE IN LIVERPOOL
