HMV has struck deals with landlords on five stores which had previously been under threat of closure, while the future of three further stores could face the axe by the end of January.

The embattled music retailer announced that branches in Glasgow Braehead, Edinburgh Ocean Terminal, Reading, Sheffield Meadowhall and Grimsby will remain open after deals were struck with landlords.

“After previously widespread reports of the closure of these stores this is great news for our staff and for our loyal customers in the communities, who can continue to look to hmv to provide the best entertainment offer on the high street and online,” the company said in statement.

However, the company is still locked in negotiations over the future of the stores in Bristol Cribbs, Worcester and Merryhill.

A spokesperson for HMV said that the stores “remain under threat of closure at the end of this month unless new deals can be agreed.”

The announcement comes after the High Street retailer confirmed last week that three stores in Bury St Edmunds, Nuneaton and the Fopp in Glasgow Byres Road would be shuttered by the end of January as new tenants move into the properties.

The company said that “extortionate” business rates had meant that some locations were no longer viable.

The company has also said stores in Lincoln and Plymouth would be relocated to new premises at the beginning of February.

HMV was saved from collapse for the second time in six years last February after Canadian record store entrepreneur Doug Putman stepped in to outbid Mike Ashley’s offer to buy the business.

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