Full list of Game stores that have closed down

COMPUTER game fans have flocked to the high street over the years to pick up the latest releases for Playstation and Nintendo consoles.

One shop, Game, has been a familiar name for shoppers since the early 90s, and can still be found in many towns and cities today.

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The shop is now owned by Frasers Group after being taken over in 2019.

Frasers Group is the company founded by Mike Ashley and is behind well-known brands like House of Fraser, Sports Direct and Flannels among others.

Is Game closing down?

Game has over 240 stores across the country at the time of writing.

But Frasers Group has shut some locations in recent months, including locations in Devon and Wales among them.

Plus other sites have been earmarked for closure in future too.

Some of these locations have offered big discounts on stock before shutting their doors for good.

Why is Game closing down stores?

Game owner Frasers Group hasn’t given a reason for closing these stores.

But in some instances they have moved location, or have reopened in other Frasers Group stores like Sports Direct.

For example the Game in Newport, Wales shut in October 2023. But just a few days later it opened in the Sports Direct on the same street.

Some retailers close branches here and there for various reasons, like when a store lease has come to an end.

Other examples of one-off rather than widespread closures is if there are changes in the area, like a shopping centre closing.

And in some cases a shop will close to relocate to another area where there are more shoppers.

Some chains have faced tougher conditions though, including rising rents and energy costs along with a falling number of shoppers on the high street, forcing them to shut dozens of stores, or all of them in the worst case.

Game isn’t the only name under the Frasers Group umbrella to close or move in to another shop.

It has opened a new concept department store that’s home to several brands including Game and Sports Direct, as well as its designer shop Flannels.

Frasers opened in Norwich. Norfolk, last September with more to follow in Blackpool and Sheffield.

The new-style Frasers shops host several other Frasers Group‘s brands like Belong, USC and Evans Cycles.

It follows the closure of several House of Fraser department stores, including in Sollihull, Cardiff, Birmingham, High Wycombe, Westfield Shepherd’s Bush and Guildford.

Full list of Game stores that have closed

Nearly a dozen Game stores have closed so far or will do soon.

Here’s a list including dates we know so far…

• Nuneaton, Warwickshire Ropewalk shopping centre- November 10
• Newport, Wales, on October 18, 2023 (relocated to Sports Direct)
• Exeter, Devon, Guildhall shopping centre – January (relocated to Sports Direct on Rydon Lane)
• Witney, Oxfordshire – January 7
• Rugby, Warwickshire – January 7
• Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire – January 14
• Plymouth, Devon – February 6
• Newton Abbot, Devon – March 17
• Grimsby, Lincolnshire – March 17
• Rhyl, Wales – spring
• Torquay, Devon – TBC

You can find your nearest Game store by using the store locator tool on its website.

Retailers closing stores in 2024

RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.

High energy costs and a move to shopping online are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.

Here’s a list of all the big-name brands closing stores this year:

• Argos – The brand announced plans to close 100 standalone UK branches last year as it looks to move away from the high street and focus on expanding its presence in supermarkets.
• B&Q – The chain has over 300 shops across the UK, so chances are you have one near you, but some stores have closed in recent months.
• Boots – The health and beauty chain announced that it would be closing 300 stores last July. Closures are ongoing and this will see the retailer’s estate reduced from 2,200 to 1,900 shops.
• Clintons – Clintons mulled plans to close 38 shops in a bid to avoid insolvency late last year. We’ve listed the stores affected.
• Costa Coffee – The caffeine giant has around 2,000 sites nationwide, so chances are you’ll have one near you. The chain has shut the doors to dozens of its sites recently. We’ve revealed which stores are due to close this year.
• Iceland – The supermarket has more than 900 stores but closed nearly two dozen sites in 2023, and more selected shops are due to shut.
• Lidl – The supermarket, which has 950 stores, is changing up shop locations, which has meant that some stores have to close. But the retailer is also looking to open 12 new supermarkets.
• M&S – M&S, which runs 405 stores across the country, has been closing a string of branches across the country in a blow for shoppers. It’s not all bad news, though, because the chain also has big plans to open dozens of new shops as well.
• Trespass – The firm announced in July last year that it was closing six branches, but more are on the way.
• WHSmith – The retail giant, which runs over 1,100 stores, has shuttered eight stores since March 2023, but more are coming.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk