Zavvi in administration: do not place new orders

According to Zavvi’s website, outstanding orders and pre-orders may no longer be fulfilled. Customers who have already paid for goods that were not delivered are being directed to their bank, card issuer, or payment provider.

The available reporting confirms that Zavvi is in an insolvency process, but not what the final outcome will be. It is still unclear whether the company will be sold, restructured, or eventually stop trading.

What happened

UK entertainment retailer Zavvi posted a notice on its website on 12 October 2026 asking customers not to make any new purchases. IGN reported that Zavvi explicitly warned visitors not to order any more, while Eurogamer quoted the website text saying the company had entered administration. That reporting also noted that Zavvi’s website remained online, but that the company said it had stopped trading while the insolvency process is handled.

In the same notice, Zavvi said it cannot fulfil outstanding orders and pre-orders. It also stated that it cannot accept returns for items of any kind. For customers who have already paid but have not received their order, Zavvi points them to their bank, card issuer, or payment provider for possible chargeback or other payment protection. That makes clear the warning is not only about new orders, but also about existing orders that have not yet been completed.

Eurogamer also reported that BDO LLP is handling the administration process. External reporting further says that Chris Skey and Kerry Bailey of BDO LLP have been appointed as joint administrators for ZavviGroup Ltd, the company trading as Zavvi. The available information therefore confirms that Zavvi is in a formal insolvency process, but not whether that will lead to a sale, restructuring, or a permanent shutdown.

The reporting also says the situation was not fully resolved as of 14 October 2026. That means there was still no confirmed outcome regarding a possible sale, rescue plan, or liquidation. For customers, the key takeaway is that the webshop may still be accessible, but the company itself says it is no longer processing new orders.

Background

Zavvi is a UK entertainment retailer known for physical media such as Blu-rays, 4K films, and steelbooks. After earlier store closures, the brand operated mainly online, making the webshop the main sales channel for many customers. External context also notes that Zavvi was founded in 2007 after the UK arm of Virgin Megastores was acquired and renamed.

The brand’s history shows that administration is not new to Zavvi. External context says the company already entered administration in December 2008 and that the last physical stores closed in February 2009, after which Zavvi continued entirely online. That makes the current notice especially significant, because the webshop is once again the central place where customers are seeing the warning.

Administration in the UK is a legal process for companies facing financial trouble. Such a process can end in restructuring, a sale, or a rescue deal, but it can also lead to the business being wound down if no solution is found. For Zavvi, no final outcome has been confirmed yet. The reporting does name BDO LLP as the firm involved, but not which specific solution the administrators are pursuing or when more clarity will come.

For the product categories Zavvi sells, the important point is that the notice refers to outstanding orders and pre-orders in general. The available sources do not specify that only a particular range has been affected. As a result, it remains unclear whether limited editions, physical media, or all webshop orders fall under the same warning.

Sources

• IGN: movie-retailer Zavvi warns customers to stop buying from its site as it enters administration
• Eurogamer: Zavvi administration 2026 orders