GAME to Shutter Final Standalone UK Stores Following Administration Filing
The iconic UK video games retailer GAME is set to close all its remaining standalone stores across the country after the company filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators last week. This marks the second time GAME has entered administration since 2012, signalling a significant shift in its retail strategy under owner Frasers Group.
End of an Era for High Street Presence
According to industry reports from The Game Business, Frasers Group has made the decision to close GAME's last three standalone stores located in Dudley, Lancaster, and Sutton. This move effectively ends GAME's presence as an individual retailer on British high streets, where its shops have become increasingly rare over the past decade.
The closure represents the culmination of a gradual erosion of GAME's physical footprint, with the retailer having slimmed down operations significantly since Frasers Group acquired the business in 2019. During this period, the company discontinued several key services including pre-owned game sales and rewards points schemes, while transitioning most staff to zero-hour contracts.
Brand Continuation Through Digital and Concession Channels
Despite the closure of standalone stores, the GAME brand will continue to operate through alternative channels. The company's website will remain fully functional, and over 200 concession stores within other Frasers Group brands - primarily Sports Direct and House of Fraser - will continue to offer GAME products and services.
This strategic shift reflects changing consumer behaviour and the broader challenges facing physical retail, particularly in the gaming sector where digital distribution has transformed purchasing patterns.
Leadership Changes and Strategic Pivot
The store closures coincide with the departure of managing director Nick Arran, who leaves after nearly nine years with the company. In 2023, Arran outlined his vision for GAME to adopt a 'general entertainment approach across gaming, toys, board games, and tech', while maintaining that gaming remained the company's core business.
'Gaming is our core business and we will be the last man standing selling physical video games,' Arran stated at the time, acknowledging the need for realism in a rapidly evolving retail landscape.
Broader Retail Context and Competitor Landscape
The closure of GAME's standalone stores occurs against a backdrop of significant change in UK games retail. CeX now stands as the largest physical games retailer on British high streets with approximately 390 UK stores and over 600 worldwide locations, having recently expanded its operations to include delivery through the Just Eat platform.
Other remaining retail chains that regularly sell video games include Argos and Currys, while some larger supermarket branches such as Asda may stock limited selections depending on store size. This shifting landscape reflects both the challenges of physical retail and the growing dominance of digital distribution channels in the gaming industry.
The administration filing and subsequent store closures represent another chapter in GAME's turbulent recent history, following previous store reduction programmes including a 2020 initiative that saw 40 locations close across locations including Mansfield, Leicester, and Glasgow Fort.
