GAME in serious trouble

cml387 · 26-03-2012 07:58PM

dillo2k10 wrote: »

If all Irish stores are closed permanently but if even some of the UK stores are saved would those who paid for pre-orders and have gift cards not still get their pre-orders or a refund of the value of the gift cards eventually?

They do still have to pay debts if the company is bought/saved don't they?

No. Any company taking over is going to want to be free of Game's obligations or they won't take it on.

RobbingBandit · 26-03-2012 08:07PM

I don't see Gamestop taking any of the stores,rather I think they may take the stock only.

theteal · 26-03-2012 08:11PM

FutureGuy wrote: »

Right, onto something more positive....

What were your favourite memories of GAME?

- going on the hop to collect my pre-ordered copy of MGS even though i couldn't go home until after 4 to play it
- going on the hop to collect my pre-ordered dreamcast with sega rally and sonic adventure even though i couldn't go home until after 4 to play it
- trying to buy a 360 but the payment wouldn't go through on my card because BOI should call it "365(except weekends)" and then arguing with the bank on the phone while still in the shop to temporarily raise my credit limit by €500 to enable me proceed as planned. . .gears of war was extra good that day

26-03-2012 08:12PM

Don't see Gamestop taking over the stores, what they may do is take over the buildings and close down the Gamestop close by. Would make sense in places like Galway where the Gamestop is tiny, it looks dingy as hell and browsing in there is a nuisance as you are constantly bumping into other people.

My only real complaint about Game bar the pricing is one that I have with every store selling games, it's that they never seem to employ people with an interest in gaming. You'll get one or two staff members in each store with an interest in it but by and large the staff have absolutely no interest in gaming and as such their knowledge base is lacking. I've a number of friend who work in both Game and Gamestop and between them not one of them is a gamer. Only one of them owns a console and thats simply because the PS3 plays Blu-Ray. I assume this was deliberate move on the managers part so as to dissuade employees utilizing their staff discount.

Oafley Jones · 26-03-2012 08:18PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Don't see Gamestop taking over the stores, what they may do is take over the buildings and close down the Gamestop close by. Would make sense in places like Galway where the Gamestop is tiny, it looks dingy as hell and browsing in there is a nuisance as you are constantly bumping into other people.

My only real complaint about Game bar the pricing is one that I have with every store selling games, it's that they never seem to employ people with an interest in gaming. You'll get one or two staff members in each store with an interest in it but by and large the staff have absolutely no interest in gaming and as such their knowledge base is lacking. I've a number of friend who work in both Game and Gamestop and between them not one of them is a gamer. Only one of them owns a console and thats simply because the PS3 plays Blu-Ray. I assume this was deliberate move on the managers part so as to dissuade employees utilizing their staff discount.

What is with Gamestop stores looking like hovels?

gubbie · 26-03-2012 08:24PM

Oafley Jones wrote: »

Didn't think they'd be first to close. The money I must have spent in there since it opened must have been huge, although having said that I've probably only bought maybe one or two items in there in the past year.

I agree. I love wondering in there after a hard days shopping and drifting down to the back

26-03-2012 08:25PM

Oafley Jones wrote: »

What is with Gamestop stores looking like hovels?

I suppose it's down to the fact that unlike Game, Gamestop got into the trading in of and reselling of second hand DVDs, CDs and now electronics and rather than move to new locations where there was more shelf space just packed everything onto the existing shelves and then piled all the stuff that would not fit onto the floor beneath racks.

cml387 · 26-03-2012 08:25PM

Oafley Jones wrote: »

What is with Gamestop stores looking like hovels?

And damp and smelly like the Clonmel one.

Exclamation Marc · 26-03-2012 08:26PM

FutureGuy wrote: »

Right, onto something more positive....

What were your favourite memories of GAME?

My favorite memories of GAME are picking up my games on the day of release. I remember vividly getting the 46a bus into Grafton Street to pick up Perfect Dark on the N64, picking up GTA3 on Dawson Street (when it was EB, the company which took over GAME and renamed themselves GAME) whilst on work experience and picking up GTA Vice City between school and afterschool study.

Nothing like that feeling of picking up a game in store, the smell and feel of a brand new gamebox, spending the journey home reading the booklets (when they were booklets and not just crappy inlets as they are now) and the massive anticipation of playing it followed by arriving home and declaring to your parents that you are unavailable for a few hours as you have a new game. Years and years ago but I still remember it!

valleyoftheunos · 26-03-2012 08:36PM

Deleted User wrote: »

...I assume this was deliberate move on the managers part so as to dissuade employees utilizing their staff discount.

That is a particularly daft and baseless assumption.

Coriolanus · 26-03-2012 08:38PM

valleyoftheunos wrote: »

Deleted User wrote: »

...I assume this was deliberate move on the managers part so as to dissuade employees utilizing their staff discount.

That is a particularly daft and baseless assumption.

Yes, but given the nature of their corporate culture the last few years, sadly beleiveable.

Sephiroth_dude · 26-03-2012 08:49PM

I'm gutted to hear the game shop on patrick's street in cork is closed

the groutch · 26-03-2012 08:56PM

I remember going in to the one on Dawson Street, still called Electronics Boutique at the time, and trading in my Megadrive & games for a brand new Sega Saturn.
(It plays DISCS!!! :eek:)

LostCorkGuy · 26-03-2012 08:58PM

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

I'm gutted to hear the game shop on patrick's street in cork is closed

no its not I was in there 4 hours ago ?

Brian_Zeluz · 26-03-2012 09:00PM

Anyone know which outlets of game are still open for now?

Mod: Thread maybe? ^^^

RobbingBandit · 26-03-2012 09:05PM

Brian_Zeluz wrote: »

Anyone know which outlets of game are still open for now?

Mod: Thread maybe? ^^^

List of closed stores below.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/store-closures-begin-at-game-and-gamestation/093365

Barlett · 26-03-2012 09:08PM

It seems every Irish store is to close?

micko2009 · 26-03-2012 09:11PM

Terrible about all the jobs. Massive losses in the UK & Ireland.

Traded in three newish games there last week, should have known better as I heard they were in trouble, thought they would have abit more time though.

I guess I just lost €30 in credit. I know when a business goes tits up they generally close the doors but would be nice to honour customers with existing credit to at least clear what stock is left. As bad as it is for employees I am sure alot of customers have lost out.

cml387 · 26-03-2012 09:13PM

I bought "Phantasmagoria,A Puzzle of Flesh" in Game in Cork.

Well it looked interesting at the time.

Brian_Zeluz · 26-03-2012 09:26PM

Barlett wrote: »

It seems every Irish store is to close?

It looks like every Irish Store has closed.......

RobbingBandit wrote: »

List of closed stores below.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/store-closures-begin-at-game-and-gamestation/093365

Unless someone knows of any still open here?

Wolverine359 · 26-03-2012 09:34PM

Nope, all 13 stores in the Republic have closed their doors.

Procrastastudy · 26-03-2012 09:47PM

Confirmed - All closed and will remain so.

LoganIn · 26-03-2012 09:58PM

Mr E wrote: »

Nip it in the bud now, guys.... back on topic.

and thanked by futureguy :rolleyes:
But since a mod says stop. i wont argue.

Being honest, I dont care GAME has folded. Its bad the way those people lost their jobs and to add salt to the wounds GAME doesnt want to give redundancy. Terrible company.

I remember I was going to trade in a few ps2 games a few years back. Got offered 1 euro per game.... had about 25 ps2 games.
Offering me 1 euro for a game that they would be selling for 29.99 (at the time) goes beyond 'business'

Exclamation Marc · 26-03-2012 10:02PM

Why GAME collapsed

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 26 March, 2012

PwC cites "unfortunate" proximity of stores and "ambitious" overseas expansion.

Administrators at PwC have blamed GAME Group's collapse on its "ambitious" overseas expansion and the "unfortunate" close proximity of its stores.

PwC today shut 277 Game and Gamestation stores across the UK and Ireland and announced plans to make 2104 staff redundant by the end of the week. 333 stores are still trading as the administrators seek a buyer for the struggling high street retailer.

It marks the culmination of a torrid 12 months for GAME Group, which has been unable to stock new releases, such as Mass Effect 3, in recent weeks. Its share price fell sharply following a difficult Christmas before GAME was last week forced to cease the trading of its shares on the London Stock Exchange.

So, what went wrong?

"GAME Group had two fundamental problems," PwC valuation manager Mike Jones told Sky News. "First of all there was a very ambitious overseas expansion into seven territories in addition to the UK. On top of that the UK store portfolio is very extensive. Before we made the closures GAME had 610 stores in the UK. That footprint and that high fixed cost is very difficult to maintain."

Full article @ Eurogamer: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-03-26-why-game-collapsed

Procrastastudy · 26-03-2012 10:06PM

dillo2k10 wrote: »

If all Irish stores are closed permanently but if even some of the UK stores are saved would those who paid for pre-orders and have gift cards not still get their pre-orders or a refund of the value of the gift cards eventually?

They do still have to pay debts if the company is bought/saved don't they?

Gift Cards are most likely regulated by a bank so get on to any customer serivce numbers listed on the card.

Edit: Loyalty cards work in the UK so if you're up in Newry or in the UK over the next wee while - get in there and spend it. PWC have killed all of them now

starlit · 26-03-2012 10:08PM

I thought they keep the City ones open at least in particular the Dublin, Limerick and Cork ones. Shame really in this technology era! You think they be doing well despite HMV having faced a similar faith. Though competing with online stores and dunnes/tesco as well.

So are all the GAME shops going to be closed in Ireland though? Makes no sense if they are just decentralising it between Ireland and the UK.

Silly really, its better to buy these kind of things in shops than online though if anything was wrong with a product like. Different for CD's and DVD's though and downloading music from itunes. Its no different to buying a phone, would you buy a phone online? You'd buy it in a shop like!? You have more of a come back as a customer I think. Though great to shop online but there are only so many products that are better options to buy online than in the shop if it means value is the main factor though quality should over-ride value in this case. If you have a problem with a product, at least you get better customer care in a shop than from a phone call.

When are they closing the shops or have they all closed the ones they intend to shut down? Bad form though for the Irish Economy though.

Its like le senza and navi all over again. What's it coming to if HMV has gone down the same path is there any hope for those in a similar industry as HMV and GAMES!?

jill_valentine · 26-03-2012 10:12PM

So even though branches in Ireland were profitable they're being closed due to unsupportable expansion and dumb decisions higher up.

Ugly.

Procrastastudy · 26-03-2012 10:12PM

Sorry to keep posting.

Remember is't not "them" but Price Waterhouse Coopers - who will be doing nothing but trying to make the remainder of the business look attractive to a buyer. At the moment that looks like GameStop given GS wouldn't want any Eire Stores and would want about half of the stores in the UK.

It likely that the Irish Operation wasnt making money so keeping it would detract from any possible sale to anyone. As would trying to sell 600 stores in the UK rather than a more sensible 200 - 300.

imitation · 26-03-2012 10:14PM

A real shame to hear, hopefully the stores can be saved (or at least some of them), I have been shopping at game since they sold games for the Amiga, plenty of fun was brought home from their shelves.

I never found gamestops prices quite as good (although they did beat them around the time of the xbox 1) and if we are left with one chain only it can only mean higher prices, I have never really seen better prices online, with the exception of the Steam sales.

Hopefully the shops wont have the same fate as virgin in cork did, it was replaced by a independent retailer with no games and a poor selection of dvds. Its now like a pound shop or something.

starlit · 26-03-2012 10:18PM

Meant Zavi not Navi in other post*. So basically the Irish stores weren't making enough of a profit so closing them instead would benefit the running of the company to keep it going long term. I suppose makes sense in terms of money but in terms of economy it be still worth keeping at least one or two of the thirteen Irish stores opened at least unless they plan to keep one opened in the North though.

I guess decentralising is probably the only way for the UK stores to keep running and make a profit to stand any chance of success long term. Its a shame though how it has come to this in terms of job losses not good for Ireland and UK. Though if it means keeping some stores opened is better than it going completely downhill!

GAME in serious trouble

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