The trade price for Nintendo Wii is set to increase by around £16.50 (approximately £19 including VAT) due to the ‘continuing depreciation of the pound,’ and leading High Street chains are currently deciding on their response to the announcement.
An HMV spokesperson told MCV: “We are still digesting this announcement, and are currently evaluating our response to it.”
Comet’s Debbie O’Neill added: “The price increase has come as a surprise for us and as you can imagine, not a welcome one as it puts Comet in a difficult position.
“Regarding retail price I cannot really comment but we will remain competitive.”
CHIPS' joint MD Don McCabe also expressed surprise at Nintendo’s announcement: “It must be the first time I have seen the price for a console rise in all the time I have been in this industry,” he said.
“In some respects Nintendo must suspect that they got the price wrong from the start.
"To have a machine that even now is still allocated and at key periods can still be sold at a premium on eBay, must indicate that they could have set a slightly higher retail from the start.”
Supermarket giant Sainsburys, who recently slashed the Wii to below £160 in a temporary promotion, has stated that ‘no decision’ has been made yet on the price of the console.
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