THE FINALISTS 2012 YOUR TEAM • YOUR GAMES • YOUR AWARDS Exclusive Retail Category Partner
10th Anniversary
Previous Winner 2011: Amazon
Online retailers and supermarkets have long since been giving specialists a run for their money. This award recognises the firm with the strongest games offering
AMAZON A lot has happened to the UKʼs largest online retailer since it picked up last yearʼs MCV Award (for best General Retailer). Most significantly, it has pipped HMV to be named the biggest entertainment retailer, thanks in part to video games and aggressive pricing. The firm ramped up its digital offering this year with the arrival of its Android store, something that will become even more significant this year with the launch of Kindle Fire. Games also played a starring role in the firmʼs ʻlightning deals,ʼ which were temporary price promotions ran during Black Friday week in November, and then in the run- up to Christmas.
ASDA
There was a few changes at the top of Asdaʼs entertainment business during 2011, but the grocer remained as committed as ever to video games. The most notable change is the new Asda website. The supermarket has parted company with white label experts The Hut Group to go it alone, which the firm says ʻgives us the ability to be a lot more competitive with the likes of Amazon and Playʼ. The company remained competitive on price and continued to push its pre-owned offer with a number of promotions, including one for PlayStation Vita. It also launched a Tech Trade-In offer, where consumers can even trade-in PS2, Xbox and other older consoles.
MORRISONS
The biggest development at the grocer was its change of distributor, leaving Music Box Leisure for Cinram. It continued to be competitive on price with everything to hardware such as 3DS to games like Gears of War 3, with offers rivalling those of Tesco and other grocers. Morrisons pushed its hardware offer in particular earlier this year, slashing prices on all three consoles and various bundles. It has more than 455 branches around the UK.