Report: US retailer setting up shop in UK

Game may have taken over rival Gamestation, giving it a total of 650 stores in the UK, but the high-street gaming chain is about to get some competition.

Play N Trade, which has more than 100 stores in the US, is planning to open up its first UK store in the second quarter of 2009, reports gaming magazine MCV. The company may land on British soil even sooner if the right middleman is found.

Play N Trade CEO Roger Lloyd commented, "If we find a very strong, qualified retailer that could be our master franchisor, we'll move in even faster. The key is getting the right person."

Grabbing a foothold in a UK market dominated by Game, and with supermarkets and entertainment brands such as Zavvi increasing their gaming retail space, might intimidate some companies, but not Play N Trade. Lloyd said that he believed the competition in the UK was "outdated." He said, "The US is definitely ahead in the gaming arena--we're going to raise the bar."

Play N Trade, as the name suggests, features both new and second-hand games in stores, along with accessories, consoles, and "cool retro gaming products." According to the company's US Web site, it also offers "great trade-in values" for those wanting to swap their used games and consoles. The mission statement also blasts the "inferior customer service" in other gaming stores, which it believes consumers have only tolerated due to "limited choice."

He also added, "Game has a very strong presence in the UK and beyond, but I like competition."