When an injured cricket-loving student who had failed his math exam three times decided to tell his headmaster how to run his school, the surprised teacher predicted, “He’ll either end up a millionaire or behind bars.” Richard Branson became the former (via a night behind the latter!). His original Virgin record store was on Oxford Street, and the big daddy of all Virgin Megastores still resides there. Be warned, this store is loud, brash and filled with kids who look barely old enough to be out on their own, let alone scooping up PSP games by the armful. They all hang about the front entrance, too, making it darn near impossible to get in. The trick is to walk up Tottenham Court Road on the west side, and nip in the side entrance, which is much less crowded. Inside, elevators whisk shoppers towards the music of their choice, from hip-hop to opera. The classical section on the first floor has a cool glass wall, which shields listeners from the mayhem of music outside. This is the place to chill out listening to whatever the knowledgeable staff is playing for its own pleasure. The Piccadilly Circus Megastore has a better location right opposite the statue of Eros, but suffers from the eccentric store layout it inherited from the previous occupant, Tower Records. It’s not just music, as racks of DVDs march relentlessly across the sales floor, pushing old-fashioned CDs into second place in some areas. (Remember, DVDs sold here will only play in US multi-regional DVD players.) The stores also host live performances; past performers include Suede and The Stereophonics. Predictably, the biggest Megastore of all is the online version, where there is information on all forthcoming appearances.