French connection slowing GameStop GAME bid, say execs

Senior industry sources say GameStop has found another reason not to make an offer for GAME: France.

Three weeks ago we reported on industry speculation that claimed GameStop would ideally like to buy GAME assets that would give it a foothold in the British and Iberian markets, but doesn’t want to buy the entire chain. Because a wholesale grab would give it too many stores in Australia.

Now our sources are saying that the French games market is causing as much concern, if not more.

GAME and GameStop are direct rivals in France.GAME runs around 200 branded stores in the country, built through a series of acquisitions in the region over the last decade.GameStop, meanwhile, owns the 300-strong French chain Micromania which it grabbed in 2008.

Bringing the two specialist chains together would cause a clash almost identical to the GAME-GameStation buy”, oneexec told us.

The competition inFrance is just as much of a roadblock as it is in Australia, if not more.Our contacts down in Australia are actually a little amused by the suggestion that all eyes were on Ozwhen it came to such an important development inthe market.”