The days of browsing your local Woolies for the latest Top 40 tracks are over - the ailing entertainment retailer, a household name for 99 years, is to stop stocking CD singles from August. In place, it’s relaunched Woolworths Download - a RealNetworks-powered music, video, games and mobile content store.

Woolworths commercial director Jim Batchelor: “CDs are alive and well for album sales, but unfortunately the physical singles market is in terminal decline. The reality is that more and more people can’t remember the last time they purchased a CD single.” Back in the day, teenagers’ pocket money spent in Woolies’ music section made a significant contribution to Top 40 placings. But UK CD single sales fell from 55 million in 2000 to eight million last year, Batchelor said. More at our sister site paidContent:UK...

• Music Biz Pushes Piracy Blame To ISPs; Digital Sales Up 40 Percent
• Woolworths UK Offers Online Music Preview Service