Major overhaul for Game stores in South Africa – here’s what you can expect

Massmart has announced a complete overhaul of its operations in South Africa, including big changed for its popular Game stores.

In a shareholder presentation on Thursday (30 January), the company said that Game’s customer value proposition is currently unclear, with a lack of resonance in key growth segments.

It added that there is a lack of coherence in its offering, an over-reliance on promotions, and certain segments – like fresh and frozen foods – which are just not working.

Speaking to BusinessTech, Massmart corporate reputation manager Michelle Kemp said that Game will be focusing on its product assortment, specifically by focusing on the ranges that it is renowned for and introducing new lines, such as clothing.

“We will be phasing out categories that have not been successful such as fresh and frozen food, and music and movies,” she said.

“We are also focusing on improving our customer service levels, merchandise availability and general store standards. Our intention is to get the retail basics right so that customers have a much more pleasant shopping experience.”

In the immediate term, Kemp said that Game is focused on strengthening categories that customers really enjoy – citing babies, multimedia and groceries.

“In addition, we are bringing in clothing essentials. We have already started with a big focus on improving customer service, which is based on the Walmart happy-to-Help programme,” she said.

Kemp said that Game would also focus on improving in-store execution and basic on-shelf standards.

“Customers will see better, easier to shop price ticketing, on-shelf merchandising standards and much-improved availability of the products that they are looking for,” she said.