GameStop Sees 15% Growth in New Software Sales for November

Following the disappointing November NPD results, video game retailer GameStop issued a release to proclaim that it's "bucking the trend." The company saw its new software sales grow 15% for the month of November. 

“While some indicators say that new software sales are declining, we are excited to be able to roll out robust offers and incentives to help maximize shoppers’ budgets,” indicated Tony Bartel, Executive Vice President of Merchandising and Marketing. “In November of 2009, we bucked the trend and have continued to gain market share. In fact, our U.S. stores saw a 15% rise in new software sales.”

Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian commented in an investor note, "We believe that the company is benefiting from the ongoing disparity in sales between top selling games (e.g., Modern Warfare 2) and second-tier and catalog games, given GameStop’s customer demographic of core gamers."

GameStop also boasted about its customer service: "GameStop’s knowledgeable game advisors also pride themselves in helping gift givers make informed decisions about selecting the appropriate games, accessories and titles, especially when the gift recipient is under age 17." This is an area where one analyst noted that big box retailer Walmart clearly failed, as the employees seemed misinformed.