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[UK GAF] Why doesn't the UK have more indie videogame stores?

nush

Gold Member
RIP Bits 'n' Pieces Macclesfield.

That was one of our customers when we did wholesale. I seem to remember (Perhaps incorrectly) they didn't orginally start out selling videogames, but slowly pivoted to them. That's why the name is a little unusual. We supplied most of the indies around the late 90's, Our company had just one girl on the sales team a lot of these indie store owners were typical geek types. They would just find any excuse to call her up for a chat. If only they knew the picture in their head of her didn't match reality. It was an open plan office, all us guys could hear when she was chatting to them about.
 

AV

We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space
That was one of our customers when we did wholesale. I seem to remember (Perhaps incorrectly) they didn't orginally start out selling videogames, but slowly pivoted to them. That's why the name is a little unusual. We supplied most of the indies around the late 90's, Our company had just one girl on the sales team a lot of these indie store owners were typical geek types. They would just find any excuse to call her up for a chat. If only they knew the picture in their head of her didn't match reality. It was an open plan office, all us guys could hear when she was chatting to them about.

Haha, small world. Yeah I think they did start selling other junk originally and then ironically pivoted back around as more and more people bought games online or digitally, so they have to try and survive selling crap like Funkos or whatever. Kinda like GAME does now, I honestly have no idea how they survive. Even the mums I know don't shop in GAME any more the way they used to.
 

MudoSkills

Volcano High Alumnus (Cum Laude)
Like almost everyone else has said, they don't really have any place in the market now. With online retailers and digital marketplaces people don't need a physical copy to play new games, and they can't compete on price. The retro market is fucked and they just charge eBay prices anyway, and they're no longer the only way for people to get import games.

The original CEX on Rathbone Place actually used to be really good in the late 90s and early 00s - sold modded consoles, had a good retro and import section, but I think all that died down when Nintendo cracked down on imports in the GC era. It was around then that they leaned into selling phones, second hand DVDs and other miscellaneous crap.

I remember the HMV on Oxford Street doing imports when the N64 came out. They were selling the Japanese console for £800 if I remember that right.
 

nush

Gold Member
The original CEX on Rathbone Place actually used to be really good in the late 90s and early 00s

Oh no my man, in the early 90's that place was the Jawa Sandcrawler of gaming. The counter used to be right across the back wall, the staff were awesome with no attitude and sometimes you'd see a "Before he was famous" Charlie Brooker behind the counter. I'd make the trip to London JUST to go to that shop and then go back home, limited funds so it was buying games above doing all the sightseeing stuff.

I got a loose used PC Engine GT for just 90 quid from there, portable Street Fighter 2 years before anyone else. Worth it.
 

anthony2690

Banned
Why bother? You can probably order the games online cheaper brand new.

I don't think I've been into a game store in forever, especially since using gamecollection.

& Even then if you want to go to an indie store for retro stuff, it will probably have similar prices to online or socal media marketplaces, atleast with marketplaces you can usually find a good deal/haggle for those that collect retro.
 

FunkMiller

Member
A combination of factors.

#1

amazon_uk.jpg


#2 AmazonUK pays 0% tax on their 6.1 billion Uk sales. Thanks to that clown Rishi Sunak and the other UK politicians who whore themselves out to any business or entity with money.


In short, the indie video game store can't compete against corps who can out price them and pay zero tax while doing so.

Nope.

Not Amazon. Indie shops were dying before they really got going. It was the supermarkets. Same thing that did for independent book stores. Blame Asda before you blame Amazon.

Amazon gets loads of shit for this kind of thing, but they actually came along after the decay had set in.

Amazon have been killing the major chains (like Game… and Waterstones with books). Not indies.
 
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nush

Gold Member
Not Amazon. Indie shops were dying before they really got going. It was the supermarkets.

It's true, supermarkets used games as a loss-leader to get people into the stores, all they cared about was how much they would make from every shopping trolley per customer. It got to the point where indies would go and buy the new releases at supermarkets to stock thier shops becuse they could not get the games cheaper at wholesale. "I even get clubcard points" said one indie that used to do this.
 
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