Jobs to go in Yorkshire as stores close

MORE than 20 stores in Yorkshire have closed with immediate effect after video game retailer Game Group went into administration.

Five stores across the group in Leeds have shut, with a further two each closing in Bradford, Sheffield and at the Meadowhall shopping centre.

Further closures have taken place in Barnsley, Doncaster, Harrogate, Halifax, Scarborough, Hull, Bridlington, Scunthorpe, Wakefield and York.

Across the UK and Ireland, 277 stores have closed and administrators PwC said 2,104 employees would be made redundant this week.

The remaining 333 stores will stay open as the administrators search for a buyer for the business.

PwC said that the retailer had suffered from high fixed costs and an ambitious international expansion.

Its business has been hit by competition from online-only retailers.

“Our priority is to continue trading the business as normal while we continue to pursue a sale,” said one of the administrators, Mike Jervis.

“The recent job losses are regrettable, but will place the company in a stronger position while we explore opportunities to conclude a sale.

“My team and I will be doing all we can to help the affected employees at this difficult time.”

PwC also said that all gift cards for Game and Gamestation had been suspended, meaning that customers would not be able to use them to buy merchandise and no cash exchange would be offered.

The stores operate under the Game brand, as well as Gamestation.

The company asked for its shares to be suspended last Wednesday and announced it was planning to call in administrators.

It followed confirmation that some suppliers had stopped doing business with the retailer.