Specialists losing ground to supermarkets

Specialists may have driven the Halo: Reach launch excitement, but new research shows they are still losing ground to supermarkets.

According to GfK Chart-Track, mass market grocers sold 29 per cent of all video games purchased during the first 34 weeks of the year. That’s an eight per cent rise compared to 2009.

Supermarkets have ramped up their efforts in the video games space over the past 18 months. The likes of Tesco and Asda have added to their games teams, while both have also begun rolling out a pre-owned offer in many stores.

In contrast, High Street stores have suffered a 29 per cent decrease in their sales. The likes of HMV, GAME and Gamestation now account for under 50 per cent of the UK games market.

However, the retailers posting the biggest gains in 2010 are actually mail order experts. The likes of Play.com, The Hut and Amazon have increased their share from 17 per cent for the first 34 weeks of 2009 to 22 per cent for the same period this year.