High street retailer GAME is closing its final standalone stores due to significant financial losses. This decision follows the company’s indication of potentially entering administration last month.
GAME, which was established in 1990 and once had numerous branches nationwide, faced its first administration in 2012, resulting in the closure of 277 stores and over 2,000 job cuts. In 2019, the company struggled and was eventually taken over by billionaire Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct, later known as Frasers Group, in a £52 million deal.
As part of cost-cutting measures, GAME had already announced the closure of 40 stores in 2020 and an additional five in August of the same year. Currently, the retailer has only three standalone stores left, including one in the Merry Hill shopping center in the West Midlands, set to close by April 2026. The other two stores are located in Sutton, Surrey, and Lancaster.
Although the standalone stores are shutting down, GAME concessions will continue to operate in various Frasers-owned outlets, such as Sports Direct and Frasers department stores, along with their online platform.
Recent reports suggest that GAME has taken steps towards appointing administrators through law firm RPC, a move that typically precedes a company entering administration. The company’s latest financial records show a significant decline, with a near £2.5 million loss in the year ending April 2024, compared to an £8.5 million profit previously. Mr. Ashley’s entity, MASH Holdings Ltd, owns GAME Retail Limited entirely.
This closure of the last three standalone stores aligns with a trend of high street businesses announcing closures. In a separate development, Next has acquired the brand and intellectual property of Russell & Bromley’s shoe shop chain, which recently went into administration, though the deal excluded most of its physical stores. Additionally, street fashion chain Quiz is facing potential collapse, putting around 1,000 jobs at risk due to challenging market conditions and rising expenses.
