December 1, 2008 11:48

Emergency deliveries for new Take That and Britney Spears albums

Collapse of delivery firm forces retailers to use alternatives

Photo Gallery: Take That

UK retailers were forced to use emergency delivery methods to ensure copes of new albums by Take That and Britney Spears were on the shelves today (December 1), their day of release.

Distributor Entertainment UK halted CD deliveries after Woolworths, which it is the distribution arm for, went into administration on Wednesday (November 26), reports BBC News.

The company had provided delivery of physical formats of music to retailers including Zavvi, Asda, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and WH Smith, forcing companies to employ alternative delivery methods in order to make sure the CDs were on the shelves in time.

A spokesperson for Asda said that Take That and Britney Spears' new albums, entitled 'The Circus' and 'Circus' respectively, would be stocked in their stores and customers "won't notice a thing".

Speaking about the halt in service of Entertainment UK, Geoff Taylor, chief executive of the British Phonographic Industry, said, "It is very unfortunate that Woolworths' wider difficulties have dragged it into administration."