Gamestop buys Irish game retail chain

The largest game retail chain in the USA, Gamestop, has made its most aggressive move in recent years into Europe with the purchase of a majority shareholding in Irish retailer Gamesworld.

Gamesworld operates 11 retail locations in Ireland and is one of the country's largest locally based games retailers. Like Gamestop, it operates a significant trade-ins business as well as selling new boxed games.

Gamestop apparently plans to continue the company's expansion plans, which include the opening of new retail locations and the creation of up to 100 new jobs. It's not clear, however, if this is a once-off purchase, or whether it signals a fresh interest in the rapidly growing European market on the part of Gamestop.

Gamestop has nearly 1,400 outlets in North America, and claims to have over 30 million customers. The company is a subsidiary of bookseller Barnes and Noble, which owns a 60 per cent stake in it.

RTE