Stores expect £99 Wii deal boom

High Street insiders say the new Wii trade price could spark a wave of sub-100 offers.

Retailers may launch the new SKUs at that price on May 20th or wait until the bank holiday at the end of May. Sainsbury’s for one experimented with super-low Wii hardware prices in Q4 2010 to great success.

Either way, Nintendo’s current best-selling console will get a new lease of life via its first price cut.

Retailers say the cost drop will give hardware sales a ‘long overdue’ boost that can attract new audiences.

Nintendo will introduce a new Mario Kart bundle on May 20th alongside the Wii Sports bundle – lower trade prices mean both will retail for around 129. A range of budget Wii re-releases is also on the way.

This is great news – customers are very price conscious in these tough times,” Grainger Games’ Phil Moore told MCV. We’re sure this will energise the Wii.”

HMV’s Jonathan Hayes added: This price drop is to be welcomed, not least as it should help to re-energise sales. It may well encourage new consumers into the market, especially with a range of 20 games.”

Asda’s Andrew Thompson said the Wii price drop should drive some much needed volume back into the hardware market.”