MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
‘UK games stores made a major mistake ditching PC games.’ I’ve heard that said a few times, typically by smart PC developers who have made their fortune selling fun, affordable indie games on Steam. The numbers back up their assertion. Depending on which data supplier you believe, between 550m and …
Read More »Number of physical game stores rose in 2014
After years of decline, the number of physical shops selling games increased in 2014. 5,665 stores sold video game products last year, according to the Entertainment Retailer’s Association’s Yearbook. That’s an increase of 1.3 per cent year-on-year. And that number does not include every indie retailer, either. The surprise growth …
Read More »Sony to close Canadian shops
Sony has detailed plans to close all of its Canadian retail stores within the next two months. The announcement comes via a press release issued on The Canadian Press and reported on by CBC News, which states the firm will shut down all 14 of its current Canada-based locations. Five …
Read More »Argos opening 25 new digital concept stores
Argos will extend its digital store concept trial to open a further 25 stores by March 2015, in which the traditional shopping catalogues are replaced by tablets. The retailer openedsix digital concept storesduring the Christmas period featuring new developments and technology, including online prepayment, fast track product collection and a …
Read More »RadioShack closing up to 1,100 stores in US
Electronics and games retailer RadioShack has announced significant US store closures. The news follows a 20 per cent sales decline in the last quarter and the company’s eighth straight quarterly loss. Net losses tripled in the period to $191.4m. The closures equate to around 1,100 stores (20 per cent of …
Read More »Carphone Warehouse rebranding 60 of its stores as Samsung-only
Samsung smartphones are to receive their own dedicated retail presence on the UK High Street. Carphone Warehouse has announced plans to rebrand 60 of its 2,000 stores as dedicated Samsung outlets. These will roll out in the next three months across seven countries including the UK, which is expected to …
Read More »Moorfields confirms Blockbuster closure
As was exclusively revealed by MCV yesterday, all remaining Blockbuster stores will close next week. That means the closure of 91 stores and the loss of 808 jobs, with the last doors to be shut on Monday December 16th. All remaining stock will be sold off at a significant discount …
Read More »GAME adds 12 new shops for Christmas
UK retailer GAME has opened 12 new stores in the run-up to the Christmas trading period. Game Retail’s stores director Dave Howard confirmed to MCV that the chain has opened four new permanent stores and eight temporary stores, while four stores have been relocated. The firm hopes the new outlets …
Read More »All 264 Blockbuster stores to continue trading as buyer is sought
Blockbuster has said that all of its 264 UK stores will continue trading for the time being while a buyer for the chain is sought. However, 32 redundancies have already been made from its UK head office. It was announced just moments ago that Blockbuster UK is to enter administration …
Read More »GAME details Grand Theft Auto V midnight openings
Over 300 GAME stores are to open their doors at midnight for the arrival of Rockstar’s epic swansong for the current generation of machines. Grand Theft Auto V is released PS3 and Xbox 360 on September 17th, and nearly every GAME store will hold an event on the night of …
Read More »