Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Gennaro Castaldo Watch: Don't call me darling

Amongst the acres of coverage of the Pre-Budget Statement, who can you really rely on to call the Chancellor correctly? Why, HMV fact doctor Gennaro Castaldo. Will the VAT cut save us, Gennaro?

HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo agreed: "Retailers are already seeing huge price decreases at the moment, so 2.5pc is unlikely to make a significant difference.

"There are probably better ways to put money into the economy. We are finding that consumers have already taken into account the discount they will get from retailers. Sales of our DVD box-sets are already up by 10pc in terms of volume."

The retailer is currently selling a number of box-sets at a discount. The collection of Alfred Hitchcock films, which usually retails for £80, for example, is now selling for £20.

I don't blame Castaldo for taking the opportunity of being asked about the yawning chasm of the PSBR to plug a fairly standard end-of-line price cut on an elderly box set, but it's surprising the Telegraph saw fit to include the detail in its report.


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Of course, this would presumably be the same Hitchcock box set that HMV have been flogging at around that price for well over a year now. (No kids, those boxes contain a brilliant selection of films and aren't just bricks in a funny shaped wall between you, your X-Factor single, copy of Mamma Mia and the till) A wee search shows that it "usually retails" for about that price.

Still, at least Castaldo was quoted in the Telegraph advert. I love the idea of "HMV Fact Doctor" being his official title. Ah, if only...

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