Asda commits to video games despite buying team reduction
The supermarket has reshuffled its team, leaving fewer people dedicated to video games
Asda insists it will not be cutting the amount of video games it stocks.
The UK supermarket giant, owned by Wal-Mart, has recently reduced the number of video game buyers in its team.
However, speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, the firm says it remains committed to the medium. Although shelf space for games may be reduced in terms of square footage, the displays have been re-developed so that they still hold as many gaming items.
Supermarkets for a while were among the most disruptive video game retailers, driven by loss-leading activities to encourage customers into stores. In one famous incident in 2008, video game retailer GAME actually ordered its staff to buy Wii consoles from Sainsbury's because they were selling the items cheaper than Nintendo's cost price.
Asda even once operated a pre-owned games business.
Yet the loss-leading didn't last. With the physical box market showing signs of weakness, the grocers began giving some of the space to other more lucrative departments. Although supermarkets remain a powerful player in the physical games business, they're no longer nearly as aggressive. Indeed, the latest stats from GfK suggest that supermarkets are (on average) the most expensive place to buy video games.