Walmart Eyeballs GAME

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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Walmart Eyeballs GAME


An interest in the struggling specialty retailer Game has been expressed by none other than U.S.-based giant Walmart.

Despite its best efforts to save itself, Game is on the way out [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/116269-GAME-Puts-Itself-on-Sale]. The only thing that can save it from looming administration at this point is acquisition by a bigger, healthier company. There have been plenty of rumors about just such at thing, most of them looking at GameStop as the most likely savior, but another white knight has reportedly appeared on the horizon and it's a big one: the super-heavyweight Walmart.

According to MCV [http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/exclusive-walmart-preparing-game-swoop/092756], Walmart has reached out to Game to express interest in buying it out. It certainly has the muscle to do so, with $422 billion in worldwide revenues for 2011, and it also has a presence in the U.K. already as the owner of supermarket chain Asda. The news is particularly interesting because it puts pressure on GameStop to either step up or step back; the feeling so far has been that GameStop was waiting for Game to slip under so it could pick the company apart at a bargain-basement rate, but if Walmart is serious, GameStop will have to respond with a better offer while Game is still intact.

Whatever happens, the Game Group share price is experiencing a serious bounce [http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=GMG.L#symbol=gmg.l;range=1y;compare=;indicator=volume;charttype=area;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=off;source=undefined;]. It's climbed almost a full dollar today to £2.10 ($3.20), a far cry from the £60-plus ($94) it traded at just a year ago but still almost double where it started the day.

Game has thus far refused to comment on the situation.


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gigastar

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Sep 13, 2010
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I dont think a buyer for the stores is going to save them in the short term.

Even if they do get a buyer, they still need to lure EA and Capcom back into supplying them with new games and convince other publishers that its worth thier while to keep supplying games.

As for me, Amazon has won me over with better service and a slightly lower price. So my caring for GAME is now a fading memory.
 

SonOfVoorhees

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Aug 3, 2011
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I think game shops are dead, they cant compete with Amazon. Especially as to make money they have to rip off gamers wih used game sales whose prices cant compare with online prices. Its a huge shame.
 

Andy Chalk

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Nov 12, 2002
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gigastar said:
Even if they do get a buyer, they still need to lure EA and Capcom back into supplying them with new games and convince other publishers that its worth thier while to keep supplying games.
If Walmart takes over, EA, Capcom and everyone else will be lining up to get their stuff back in the stores. It's a simple question of money, and Walmart has it, which means publishers will get paid, and they're certainly not going to want to anger anone by continuing to play hardball once the Mart behemoth is in the picture.
 

Electric Alpaca

What's on the menu?
May 2, 2011
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Today was a good day for me, bought at 1.34p and sold at 1.94p for a sizeable amount of money. I didn't think I would be able to cash in until a buyer was solidly confirmed but today was productive on a level I hadn't anticipated.

I just wish I could notice trends like this all the time and I'd be living the life of Riley.

I'm grateful for this win, however.

If Walmart do buy Game Group, it will put Asda in a very interesting position against Tesco and Sainsbury's, another step in the supermarket becoming the new high street and Asda leading the charge on electronic entertainment.

This news will undoubtedly wake the other two supermarket chains.

Not to mention OpCapita, Blue Shore (of whom have already stripped some flesh, more than partly responsible for the astronomical climb today) and Hilco circling overhead - this is a brilliant time to make money on the misfortune of a conglomerate.
 

gigastar

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Sep 13, 2010
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Andy Chalk said:
gigastar said:
Even if they do get a buyer, they still need to lure EA and Capcom back into supplying them with new games and convince other publishers that its worth thier while to keep supplying games.
If Walmart takes over, EA, Capcom and everyone else will be lining up to get their stuff back in the stores. It's a simple question of money, and Walmart has it, which means publishers will get paid, and they're certainly not going to want to anger anone by continuing to play hardball once the Mart behemoth is in the picture.
Well its common knowledge that EA is out for the contents of peoples bank accounts, but as far as Capcom has been going the past year theyve seemingly little else other than anger people.

Im aware that im no buisnessman, but i would wait for a while after a takeover of a retail chain to make sure that things have actually become stable again.
 

Shoggoth2588

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Aug 31, 2009
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I'd rather Wal*Mart grab Game than Gamestop if only for the chance to see Wal*Mart bring Game stateside. It would be good to see Gamestop get a bit of competition again. Probably won't happen and if Wal*Mart does buy Game it probably won't come over here so I'll just continue to day dream.
 

weirdee

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Apr 11, 2011
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And the devil arrives fashionably late to the funeral. Come in, have a seat. We have much to discuss.
 

Beautiful End

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I'd prefer to see GameStop take over. They already have some solid foundations here in the US. Not only that but (I hope) the fine line that mas EU and US games different might be blurred. I don't know, I'm hoping if GameStop takes out, I'd be able to pre-order the special edition of The Last Story that only came out in Europe. A bit too late and a bit too unrealistic, but hey, you never know.

Not only that but I kinda like the fact that GameStop's business is games. And that's it. Wal-Mart would be like the long-gone Hollywood Video; they specialize in something else but they're also trying to be hip and cool (And richer) by handling games. It's the same reason why I like Best Buy if I have to buy a computer or a TV but I'd rather go to GameStop if I'm looking for an specific game. It's what they do.

I dunno. It's a pet-peeve, I guess.
 

Link Kadeshi

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Oct 17, 2008
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As a former Wal*Mart Employee, I need to say this:
Wal*Mart is evil. There are no explanations in their favor, they are evil. They treat their employees like crap (At best), and they sucker the sheep into thinking they're the best, shop around prices, and you'll see they're not. I should stop now, before I start getting in this too far.
 

Akyho

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Nov 28, 2010
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gigastar said:
I dont think a buyer for the stores is going to save them in the short term.

Even if they do get a buyer, they still need to lure EA and Capcom back into supplying them with new games and convince other publishers that its worth thier while to keep supplying games.

As for me, Amazon has won me over with better service and a slightly lower price. So my caring for GAME is now a fading memory.
Its not that Game has a bad reputation. It was a case they just didnt have the money. Game had tried credit and didnt make the money back aswell as those companies would have liked. So they started a No credit policy. Which means Games now has to spend more money to make money, except they did not have the money and couldnt stock the games.

So with Wallmart or such behind Game they can just go to the EA/Capcom or whoever. Say can we get credit and will be judged on that company not Game. If not they will say "Money first. Then sometime you can get credit." Which Wallmart could easily throw down enough to jump start the credit train.

Link Kadeshi said:
As a former Wal*Mart Employee, I need to say this:
Wal*Mart is evil. There are no explanations in their favor, they are evil. They treat their employees like crap (At best), and they sucker the sheep into thinking they're the best, shop around prices, and you'll see they're not. I should stop now, before I start getting in this too far.
While you may be right in America. In Britain Asda was a chain before Walmart bought it. So Asda was already a different company. Aswell as add on British laws being different. Asda is not the same hell hole as American Wallmarts are. I cant say they are paradise however its fine.
 

tipp6353

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Oct 7, 2009
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Shoggoth2588 said:
I'd rather Wal*Mart grab Game than Gamestop if only for the chance to see Wal*Mart bring Game stateside. It would be good to see Gamestop get a bit of competition again. Probably won't happen and if Wal*Mart does buy Game it probably won't come over here so I'll just continue to day dream.
Me too, Gamestop would be the lesser of two evils. and off topic captacha= ace of spades lol.
 

Link Kadeshi

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Oct 17, 2008
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That's a tactic they've used to get rid of someone when I was there. One of many, I'm afraid. I knew a woman who's son had to get an emergency appendectomy, she took all her sick days to be with him, and needed one more than she had, called up, told them, and they said sure, she took that day, came in the next and was fired. Had been there for 15 years or more, and replaced by a new hire at base pay who had no knowledge of her department.

EDIT: I just have to add, I like the new captcha setup. I give it one whole thumb up!
 

Macgyvercas

Spice & Wolf Restored!
Feb 19, 2009
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I really hope that GameStop kicks it up. Because as an employee of Walmart for another 35 days (in minutes, anyway), I can safety say that WALMART FUCKING SUCKS!