29 Sep, 2010
MCV have announced that the GAME group, who operate Game and Gamestation stores in the UK, are planning to close 85 stores over the next three years. This follows the chain closing 15 stores and 27 concessions in the past year. This move is to reduce store overlap as well as to reduce costs, following the chain seeing dips in year-on-year sales. The closure of the 85 stores will leave the company with 550 stores still in operation in the UK. It seems like a lot of the store closures will be likely to take place in towns which already have more than one of either store; many larger towns have multiple branches, for example Brighton has two Game stores as well as a Gamestation within close proximity to each other, so chances are you will still have a store to go to.
In the current job market, I empathise with the staff who will be facing redundancy when the closures do take place. However, I wonder whether the chain are doing enough to stay competitive in the market place; more people are likely to buy online these days because of lower prices, and there are other stores who often offer better prices of preowned games. I know that stores have higher overhead costs than websites so they will need to charge more, but sometimes they don’t even match the prices on their own websites.
Do you shop frequently in Game or Gamestation? What are your reasons for choosing to shop there, and if you don’t, why do you go elsewhere? What do you think the chain could do to stay more competitive in the market?
Source: Destructoid
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