Grainger Games Expanding

Regional games retailer going national and planning further expansion.
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Article written by colossalblue in PS3 News, on Thursday, July 9, 2009 at 16:00.

The “independent” games retailer Grainger Games (who are really just a local chain rather than an actual independent) are expanding their mini-empire by hiring specialists that Game saw fit to drop when it took over previous knowledgeable specialists GameStation.

Phil Moore, a former Gamestation regional manager has joined as Sales Director of Grainger and is ambitiously targeting the South of England as the company’s first foray outside of the North East. Moore doesn’t want to stop there though, he wants a chain of more than 80 stores, capable of challenging Game’s market dominance, stating:

I can absolutely see a time when we have 80 stores. My long term plan is to grow Grainger Games into a nationally recognised brand that delivers real value to every customer, across every revenue channel

This is clearly a very ambitious move by the small group and on which we hope pays off for them. Competition is always good for the consumer and a bit more specialist knowledge in video game retail wouldn’t hurt either, the staff of my local Game are largely clueless.

Source: MCVUK

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  1. Pixl1983 | 09/07/2009 16:16
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    A good bit of competition is exactly what Game need right now. I’ve not been in one of their stores for ages. Hope they set one up in Cambs.


    • jonny_bolton | 09/07/2009 17:01
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      That’d be handy for me. Although right in Bury St. Edmunds would be slightly more convenient…


  2. Downey92 | 09/07/2009 16:25
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    Bring one round my way and i’ll happily shop there. I’m desperate for an alternative outlet to the usual Game/Gamestation.


  3. Carl | 09/07/2009 16:29
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    Hopefully a bit of competition will make Game lower their price a bit. My local was still selling LBP for £35 last time i checked!!


    • colossalblue | 09/07/2009 16:31
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      I can’t help thinking that the extra knowledge is just as important in a marketplace which has been dominated so massively by the Wii!


      • Kevling | 09/07/2009 17:05
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        Back in the Amaiga days, we used to have a fantastic independent store called (ugh) Computacenter. Great prices, great knowledge, great service.
        They did so well that it forced Game to put their prices down. When asked why there prices were cheaper than other Game stores, the manager was overheard to say “well they don’t have a Computacentre to compete with, do they?”
        Unfortunately, the store didn’t outlive the Amiga by very much.


  4. Hodgi92 | 09/07/2009 16:36
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    Well Southerners, enjoy Grainger Games. I have been for a few years now :)


    • colossalblue | 09/07/2009 16:42
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      I have an image of you with a pipe, flat cap and a pint of frothy bitter now. You’re saying “pah, bloody soft southern pansies” and knocking the pie crust off your vest.


      • Carl | 09/07/2009 17:27
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        I lol’d


      • Hodgi92 | 09/07/2009 22:02
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        You know, you’re right ;)


  5. citizeninsane45 | 09/07/2009 16:47
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    I have never heard of Grainger Games and I’m from up north


    • Mike | 09/07/2009 17:03
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      You aren’t a true northerner then!


  6. monty123 | 09/07/2009 16:52
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    well aslong as they create competition then it can only be a good thing, and maybe there trade-in policy will be good.

    Hope they come over the sea to Ireland though.. that’d be sweet, to rival those gamestop *edit*.


  7. Kevling | 09/07/2009 17:01
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    I hope they head our way, we have no independent stores since PlayTime and Forbidden Planet closed down earlier this year. We have a Game and a Gamestation, and then just the “we sell games too” brigade of HMV, Currys etc.


    • YOURMUMANDME | 09/07/2009 20:23
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      In Edinburgh ?? :(


      • zb100 | 09/07/2009 20:35
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        If it’s Edinburgh, then there’s 1up Games as well. Just up Dalry Road a wee bit fae Haymarket. http://www.1up-games.co.uk/

        They do imports & have a game area with sofa so you can try stuff out.


  8. Mike | 09/07/2009 17:02
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    Awwwh, they’re sharing our regional treasure :P If one opens in your area, just beware of the stickers they place on the boxes. Pre-owned games are the worst with a price sitcker on the front, barcode on the back, a massive sticker on the inside of the case and a sticker ON the disc. They are the type of stickers that don’t peel off easily and rip leaving white bits of the sticker.


    • Hodgi92 | 09/07/2009 22:04
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      Forget about the game you just bought, those stickers will prove a bigger challenge!
      :P


      • berto54 | 09/07/2009 22:08
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        agreed, i spent many a saturday peeling off grainger labels to sell the pre owned games back to them after id finished :D


  9. btime | 09/07/2009 18:07
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    good for them, always my first stop when i cant be waiting around for stuff to be posted out to me, and for the most part the staff are very very good.


  10. peespee63 | 09/07/2009 18:20
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    Hope we’ll be getting at least a couple of stores in Scotland, save me being bitterly disappointed with Gamestation (as I have been lately, they’re turning into GAME with a different colour scheme), since I stopped going to GAME after being burned by their return policy.

    Some healthy competition would be very good, though my local Asda’s pretty good with prices, not the biggest selection though.


    • flatspikes | 10/07/2009 13:16
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      Grainger already has a couple of stores in Scotland… Hamilton (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=ML3+7AR&hl=en) and Kilmarnock (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=KA1+1PG&hl=en). So as a small North East chain they actually have almost 10% of their stores in Scotland! Maybe they should be a Scottish & NE England company…

      They’re hardly amazing locations but those in Glasgow might find a trip down to Hamilton worth while… so that’s about 1 in 5 Scots with access to Grainger’s store (based on 1 million peoples around Glasgow!). Anyway I’ll stop this blatant promotion of a shop I love… my local store is Benton or Whitley Bay…


  11. Colinbarr66 | 09/07/2009 18:37
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    I got a few cheap games from there while on holiday last year. Hope they come to scotland at some point


    • flatspikes | 10/07/2009 13:19
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      They’re already in Scotland!


  12. Barc | 09/07/2009 18:44
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    Grainger Games are not bad, you can stilll get some bargains but they’re getting more like GameStation and Game. Prices have slowly crept up.

    And the shops have more than their fair share of Chavs. At least the one in Newcastle City Centre is.


  13. rothbury | 09/07/2009 19:10
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    I remember when there was just the one store in the Grainger market. Those were the days…

    Still the cheapest store in the toon for the most part though, hope it stays that way.


  14. YOURMUMANDME | 09/07/2009 20:21
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    I used to stay near Berwick a couple of years ago and I went to granger games all the time . They really do have competitive prices , most of the time , some of their pre-owned titles were a bit over priced but apart from that they were really good .
    The best bit about them :-
    • They actually knew what they were talking about and were completely non-biased
    • Everyting was rounded up to the pound so no unnecessary coppers !
    :D


    • Colinbarr66 | 09/07/2009 23:18
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      Thats where I went, was a good shop, cheap and helpful


  15. Snebjnr | 09/07/2009 23:17
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    Hmmm Game will actually have some competition these days…
    Interesting


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