Rough Trade: stock enough to beat the web

After months of gloomy prognostication about the future of record shops, Rough Trade is bucking the trend: a massive new shop that understands that sometimes it's the shopping, and sometimes it's the records, but there's something special about shopping for records:

Stephen Godfroy, a director of Rough Trade music stores, said he could not confirm any specifics surrounding the opening of the new store, but said: "We are looking to make an official announcement in the next few weeks. Our aim is to deliver something we feel has been missing in this country for far too long - an environment that celebrates music as an exciting art form, not just another commercial commodity - but on a scale that is a departure from the traditional perception of an independent record shop.

"The music industry seems to have a lot of doom and gloom about it at the moment, despite people's passion for music being as strong as ever. We certainly hope to put some smiles back on faces with something that reflects the true public appetite for exciting new music."

It's the sort of bold move which, hopefully, will be responded to. It's certainly a more inventive response than HMV's idea of cutting floorspace to make room for coffee shops.