GAME sales rocket by 90 per cent

Leading UK games retailer GAME has reported a total sales increase of 89.1 per cent, including sales from the recently acquired Gamestation, for the 45 weeks ending December 8th, whilst like-for-like sales increased by 44.1 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Taking the UK and Ireland in isolation, total sales rose by 92.3 per cent whilst like-for-likes climbed 46.1 per cent.

GAME chairman Peter Lewis stated: GAME continues to experience strong growth within an expanding market. This exceptional sales growth reflects strong consumer demand for all product formats, particularly so for the Nintendo DS Lite and Wii console.

We are very pleased with our performance for the year to date and we look forward to the key Christmas trading season. There is an unprecedented range of products for our customers albeit we anticipate that demand will outstrip supply particularly for the Nintendo Wii format.”

However, Lewis did add that the lower margins from Gamestation and the fact that hardware sales are on the rise, bringing with them lower margins themselves, will reduce the firm’s overall gross margin.

So far this year, GAME has opened 333 new stores, bringing its total count to 1,150.