In association with
INDIE PROFILE 72 MCV 11/06/10
Centre Return to
For this week’s profile of a leading UK independent retailer, we catch up with Scottish chain Games Centre. James Batchelor reports…
[FACTFILE]
FOUNDED: 1996 LOCATION: KILMARNOCK OWNER: ROBERT LINDSAY STORE COUNT: SIX, PLUS WEBSITE CONTACT: 01563 521717
GAMES CENTRE is a prime example of how careful, consolidated growth can strengthen your business more than reckless expansion ever could. The indie started out as a single store
in Scotland in 1996. Fourteen years later, it now runs six outlets, as well as a website, warehouse and office facilities – making it Scotland’s largest independent retailer. And far from peaking, the Games
Centre express is picking up momentum, with new stores being established on a yearly basis. “We opened our last
store in Airdrie in July last year and we are looking at opening another store this year,” says Games Centre’s owner Robert Lindsay. “The main focus this year is also on
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our website, which we have re- developed, and various other online activities. So online, we are really pushing ourselves. We see our growth in stores being flat this year, while online has been growing year-on-year and we expect it to do even better this year.” The company is still being cautious when it comes to expansion – including in the online space. While Games Centre recognises that the internet will be invaluable to its future business – just as it will be to the industry in general –
the firm’s owner won’t be rushing into the new areas that are emerging. Most notably, Lindsay is resisting the
temptation to dive headfirst into digital distribution, a market that all manner of publishers, retailers and indies are watching with interest. “We have no plans in digital,” he says.
“At the moment we don’t see where the opportunity is. I’d like to see if we could, but at the moment it is physical product
“I think if you haven't
also competitive price-wise against the bigger players and service levels as well with the knowledge of staff at the stores.” Games Centre also sells a good range
DVD and Blu-ray titles, although according to Lindsay film sales make up a “high volume but low percentage” of the business.
While a wide variety of
The key thing indies need to do is focus on what they do well –service, knowledge or range.
Robert Lindsay, Games Centre
we are working on and expanding our online presence.”
STOCK CONTROL Back on the High Street, Lindsay is focusing on the ongoing battle with national chains. The key to his stores’ offering is variety. “Pre-owned is a huge part of what we do, as well,” he says. “We are very competitive with pre- owned stock. In terms of new titles, we do a lot of back catalogue and sell a lot of titles the big retailers don’t do. “We still have a lot of depth on PS2 and retro formats like that. But we are
have to be made, but stocking the latest titles is more important than ever. “There are no areas that we don’t
touch,” Lindsay says. “Even if we can’t be competitive we will still do it. We’d never not stock an item just because somebody is doing it cheaper. We’d just do it for the rock bottom price we can afford to do it and stock it. That way we can have the full range of product.” In fact, this is the best advice that
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Lindsay can give to aspiring indies. By all means find other sources of revenue and expand your appeal to a wider audience, but never forget you are primarily a retailer of games.
products and services can be key to an indie’s survival, the Games Centre boss believes it is also crucial to stay up-to- date with the reams of new releases flooding to the shelves of larger chains. Sacrifices will
already been in the industry then I think it would be very tough to
get into,” he warns. “The only reason ourselves, Barkman, Grainger and any other Top 20 indie is doing well is because we’ve been in the industry for a long time. “The key thing independents need to
do is focus on what they do well – whether that be the service, product knowledge or the range of product. Just look for that niche the larger retailers don’t do. Also the pre-owned side of the business is important – that is key. “But always make sure you have new
releases as well. I often read a lot of independents don’t stock this or that because they can’t be competitive, but that’s missing the point. You have to be a one-stop shop for everything. It shouldn’t be a case of ‘if you have it or not’. You just have to have it, as far as we are concerned.”
TOP 20 UK INDIES MCVand
Nindie.com offer a rundown of the best indie game stores in the UK.
WWW.MCVUK.COM
Visit
tinyurl.com/top20indies or turn to page 14 in MCV 587.
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