Game on target after scoring 500% rise in earnings

COMPUTER game retailer Game Group said the a number of international acquisitions and the introduction of new games consoles including the Nintendo Wii had boosted its pre-tax profit by more than 500 per cent.

The company said profits rose to £29.5 million from £5.4m last year in the year to January 31.

Game, which has six stores in Edinburgh, said it had increased sales by 21 per cent to £801.3m by focussing on its specialist consumer offer to maintain its position as a leading European destination for PC and video games. Chairman Peter Lewis said: "The industry transition to new technology is now complete and although we remain conscious of the competitive environment in which we operate, we believe the strength of our brand and our unique specialist offering gives us a robust consumer proposition.

"We have seen a strong start to the year, in what is traditionally a quiet sales period for Game, thanks to the PS3 launch and hope to continue to build on our success throughout the year."