Tesco: ‘Forget the specialists, we can grow games’

Tesco’s new games boss says the grocer goliath can expand the market in ways HMV and GAME cannot.

In an interview with MCV, senior buying manager Sarah Kaye insisted a ‘level playing field’ between specialists and supermarkets can help grow the games market in the face of a tough economy.

And it doesn’t have to come down to the thorny issue of pricing, for which Tesco is notorious. She said the chance to sell DLC and collector’s editions in-store is one way to make Tesco a more credible games retailer.

The market is in a challenging place and we are better positioned than any other retailer to keep adding value to the market,” Kaye told MCV.

If I come to a supplier with an opportunity, there is a paranoia that all that will do is share shift. But Tesco can do things for your business that no other retailer has the appetite or ability to do.

GAME and HMV have hit a saturation point in a sense. What more can they do? The future of this category is to create a new best in class rather than ripping off what other people have done.

We are a mass-market retailer, we are communicating and educating customers about online and digital and DLC, and we want to work with you to market that. Talking to us is not just a pricing conversation. For us it is about becoming a more credible retailer of games.”

She added: Give us the opportunity to promote collector’s editions. The biggest thing we want as a retailer isn’t exclusive content – let’s take this one step at a time – just give us the opportunity to compete on a level playing field.”