Between Warren James and the Halifax is Game Station at 174 High St. (Tel: 0208 5209319) This is a shop which likes to portray itself as slightly 'edgy', used by the 'serious' gamer as opposed to the 'mainstream' gamers who are to be found at Game.
Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't. What I do know is that the two shops are now part of one and the same company, Game Group, because Blockbuster, the previous owners, sold Game Station last year. The Office of Fair Trading was asked to investigate the £74 million deal to ensure that it is not anti-competitive. In that we have one local competitor (Awesome Games) to Game and Game Station, there is not yet a total monopoly for games in our area.
At the moment, the board and senior management at Game Group are still pretending to the world that the buy-out was all about growth and that there will be no cuts as a result. A recent statement by GAME Group CEO Lisa Morgan said that
“Both brands have had an incredible year and we recognise that the existing management have been instrumental in their success,” and that
“We now have exciting plans for growth at each chain. For a start, the Game Station offices in York will remain open, so the team can continue to give customers uninterrupted service and keep doing what they do best. Both brands are strong and Martyn and Tricia will continue to build on their successes.” (Martyn Gibbs is the boss of Game Station, being re-assured that he still has a desk to work from at Game Station HQ in York).
Sounds very much like the confidence in him shown by the board shortly before a football manager gets the boot. There are clearly savings to be made by greater integration of some of these two brands' outlets. Goldman Sachs declared a couple of days ago that it has acquired a 15% stake in the Game Group, so I expect the MBAs will be in there soon enough.
Opening times are very non-'edgy' 9.00am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday, closing at 6.00pm on Saturday. They open from 11.00am to 5.00pm on Sunday.