On Saturday 21 October 2023, the Royal Pump Rooms in Leamington Spa filled with crate-diggers three days before the British Phonographic Industry confirmed that UK vinyl sales had reached their highest level since 1990 – 5.9 million units, an 11.7% year-on-year increase and the fastest growth rate this decade. The Leamington Record & CD Fair, organised by Vinylbank, had arrived at the perfect moment.
The Venue
The Royal Pump Rooms opened in 1814, designed by Charles S. Smith in the Classical style for a consortium including Warwick banker John Tomes. Built at a cost of £30,000, it was the grandest of Leamington’s spa facilities, where visitors from across Europe drank and bathed in mineral water from a well discovered in 1811 on Bertie Greatheed’s land. The building survived the decline of spa tourism in the 1860s when local investors bought it for £17,000, added Turkish baths, and reopened it in 1863. It remained a functioning bathhouse until the 1990s, when redevelopment converted it into a cultural centre. The Grade II listed building on The Parade offers ground floor access and town centre parking.
The Organisers
Vinylbank, based at 64 Avon Street in Warwick, has been running record fairs across the South Midlands for over 35 years. The company operates at five venues including the Royal Pump Rooms, Cheltenham Town Hall, and Methodist Central Hall in Coventry. The Leamington events accommodate 38 tables, with admission at £1 and under-14s free. Doors open to dealers at 8:00am, to the public at 10:00am, closing at 4:00pm. Tables cost £48 for a single 6-foot trestle, £87 for two, and £125 for three. The 2023 Leamington calendar included four dates: 25 February, 14 March, 20 June, and 21 October.
What Was on Offer
Stock spanned seven decades, from 1950s originals to 2023 new releases, covering soul, reggae, punk, jazz, electronic, classical, and indie. Bargain boxes sat alongside first pressings – a £2.50 compilation next to a rare original at £500. The fair format allowed buyers to inspect vinyl in hand and negotiate, unlike online marketplaces where pricing is algorithmic.
Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) had just become the year’s best-selling vinyl album, with The Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds, Lana Del Rey’s Did You Know There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, and Blur’s The Ballad of Darren all in the top ten. Seven of the ten biggest vinyl albums of 2023 were new releases – record fairs were no longer solely about the past.
The Vinyl Revival
The BPI’s analysis showed 2023 marked the 16th consecutive year of UK vinyl sales growth. More than 250,000 vinyl albums sold in the final week of December alone, the highest weekly figure this century. CD sales stabilised at around 11 million units with their smallest annual decline in nearly a decade, while cassette sales topped 100,000 for the fourth consecutive year.
Consumer research found that 43.5% of vinyl buyers believed their purchase supported artists and retailers, while 39.7% named vinyl as their favourite format. Record Store Day boosted vinyl sales by 122% on the day, but fairs like Leamington operate year-round, filling the gap between the annual publicity spike. Rock held 55.5% of the vinyl market, but pop’s share grew from 19.6% to 23.7% in one year. Independent releases accounted for 39.1% of all vinyl LPs purchased.
The Community
Record fairs bring together people who might otherwise only interact online. Dealer John Copeland, who has sold vinyl for 25 years, told the BBC that buyers are “predominantly male but we are seeing a lot more ladies and there is also a huge interest among young people, especially university age.” At Jumbo Records in Leeds, owner Nick Fraser confirmed younger customers are “much more open-minded” about genres – entering for Taylor Swift and leaving with Aphex Twin or Fleetwood Mac.
The Pump Rooms setting amplifies this. Dealers set up among rooms where Victorian visitors once drank mineral water believed to cure rheumatism. Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours appeared in the UK’s top ten vinyl albums for the eighth consecutive year. At Leamington, dealers reported steady demand for classic titles alongside obscure finds – the vinyl market operates on two tracks: nostalgia for the familiar and discovery of the forgotten.
Looking Ahead
Vinylbank’s 2024 Leamington calendar is confirmed: 14 March, 20 June, 8 August, and 10 October. With the UK vinyl market at its strongest in three decades, events like Leamington are positioned to grow. Arrive early, set a budget, bring cash. The £1 admission buys access to 38 tables spanning seventy years, in a building that has welcomed visitors since 1814.
The next Leamington Record & CD Fair takes place on Saturday 14 March 2024 at the Royal Pump Rooms, The Parade, Leamington Spa CV32 4AA. Doors open at 10:00am. Admission £1, under-14s free. For dealer bookings and full dates, visit vinylbank.co.uk.
Read more about the UK vinyl market in our analysis of 2023 music industry trends.
Sources:
1. British Phonographic Industry (BPI), “UK vinyl LP sales increase for a 16th consecutive year as the physical music market enjoys a strong 12 months,” 28 December 2023. bpi.co.uk 2. BBC News, “UK vinyl sales at the highest level since 1990,” 28 December 2023. bbc.co.uk
