Zavvi dreams of a new, online life

Flicking through New Media Age earlier, I was surprised to see bullish remarks from the Hut Group - who have bought the Zavvi brand to use online.

Yes, the Zavvi brand. The brand that was so underdeveloped, even when the company was going out of business every news report had to nudge the reader or viewer with "yes you do... the old Virgin Megastores..."

So Hut intend to try and build a consumer business on the back of a brand that, if people recognise at all, will recall as a basket case which, erm, stopped taking any online orders at all in the run-up to Christmas as its stores turned into something like a rummage sale in a day hospital. That's going to be tricky. Let's hope they're not setting their sights too high, eh?

[Dominic Starkey, head of ecommerce at The Hut Group said] "we're looking beyond HMV and Play,com as competitiors, more to Amazon.co.uk. That's where we want to take the Zavvi brand"

Mr. Starkey had to end the interview there, as he had to supervise an ant which he had employed to relocate a rubber tree plant.