[ian@huth]

themelon, what you have to consider is that most of the population of this country do not have internet access. Whilst outlets such as Woolworths and the supermarkets sell CDs they do not stock a very wide range and if they don't stock it then tough. What the high street specialist retailer does is carry a much wider range with facilities to listen before you buy and the ability to order products not in stock.

It is very expensive to rent retail space. Some ten years ago we were paying over £250,00 0 a year to rent a small unit in the Lakeside shopping centre, with service charges, rates, etc on top of this. If you took a PC game retailing for £49.99 including VAT it cost us £25 ex vat to purchase this. It may seem a big profit margin but it was needed to make the business viable.