UK retailer GAME is set to close its remaining standalone stores after filing a notice of intention to appoint administrators, marking its second administration since 2012. The company's managing director, Nick Arran, is also departing after nearly nine years.
According to The Game Business, Frasers Group, which owns GAME, has decided to shut the chain's last three standalone stores in Dudley, Lancaster, and Sutton. This move ends GAME's presence as an independent high street retailer, though the brand will continue online and through over 200 concessions within Sports Direct and House Of Fraser.
Frasers Group acquired GAME in 2019 and has since slimmed operations, ending pre-owned game sales and rewards points, and moving most staff to zero-hour contracts. In 2020, the group announced plans to close 40 stores across the UK.
Nick Arran, who had been managing director for nearly nine years, previously outlined a pivot to a 'general entertainment approach' including toys and board games, while insisting gaming remained core. 'We will be the last man standing selling physical video games,' he said in 2023.
The closure leaves CeX as the UK's largest high street games retailer, with around 390 stores. Other chains like Argos and Currys still sell video games, along with some supermarkets.
