Game store to shutdown on December 25

It is not the ideal Christmas gift that their customers and workers were hoping ,as South African retail giant Massmart, owners of Game Stores, has set December 25 as their last trading day in their outlets in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and Ghana after failing to find buyers.

In a notice that has widely circulated, the firm says that the first phase of consultations which was focused on the reasons for the proposed closure have now been completed and a decision has been reached to close the affected stores.

The firm says that immediate steps as part of the process is to initiate a stock clearance sale in all their stores in each of these countries.

“We anticipate that the last trading day for our Game stores in each country will be on 25 December.”

The stores’ official shutdown, will mark the end of its seven-year struggle in the market and adding to a growing list of local and foreign retailers that have closed shop in recent years in East Africa including another South African retailer Shoprite.

The closure comes after a 12-month period during they tried without success, to sell the stores in Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda to local investors.

“We would like to thank our Game colleagues, customers and business partners for their loyal support during the years that we have operated in Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda,” reads the notice.

Tanzania has become a tough market for retailers following the collapse of several supermarkets that set up shop in the country including Shoprite and Uchumi