A STRING of GAME stores are earmarked for closure within weeks, leaving shoppers “genuinely devastated”.
The video game retailer, which runs around 240 branches in the UK and is owned by the Frasers Group, is set to shut four sites.
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“Store closing, all stock must go” signs have been seen in the windows of its Rugby store, although it’s not clear the exact date it will close.
Meanwhile, branches in Exeter, Witney and Huntingdon are all set to welcome in customers for the final time in January.
An exact closure date for the Exeter branch is yet to be revealed but the Witney and Huntingdon stores are due to shut on January 7 and 14 respectively.
News of the closures has been met with anger and frustration from shoppers.
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Reacting to the Witney closure, one resident commented: “That’s genuinely devastated me that.”
Another added: “So sad to hear yet another Game shop is closing.”
In response to the Huntingdon branch closure, one customer said: “Such a loss to the already diminishing high street.”
Another added: “It’s a shame been using this place for over ten years.”
It comes after three GAME branches already closed in Plymouth, Cambridge and Newport, Wales.
However, the Newport branch reopened in a nearby Sports Direct unit just two days later.
In October, House of Fraser, also owned by the Frasers Group, confirmed it will close its branch in Lakeside Shopping Centre, Grays, in January next year.
It has closed three stores in 2023 already, including in Cardiff, Guildford and Birmingham.
Sports Direct, also run by the Frasers Group, has closed branches in Swindon, Coventry, Blackpool and Salisbury in recent months too.
But it’s not all bad news for the group, as it has also started opening new “concept stores” as it looks to shake up its portfolio.
The first one of this kind, featuring popular brands like Sports Direct and Game, opened in Norwich in September.
Two others have opened in Blackpool and Sheffield in recent months.
The Frasers Group also recently snapped up luxury clothing retailer Matches Fashion in a deal worth £52million.
Meanwhile, designer clothing chain Choice, bought by The Frasers Group last year, recently pulled the shutters down on its Bromley site but replaced it with a Flannels.
Tessuti, another brand it snapped up, has also closed several stores in the past year, but its Burnley location has since reopened as a Flannels.
Sports Direct was founded by Mike Ashley in 1982, and now runs over 500 stores in the UK.
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