Game Group's growth loses steam

Game Group says its customers are resilient to the downturn

UK games retailer Game Group has defied the economic gloom by reporting a rise in sales, but says its pace of growth has slowed.

The company said its like-for-like sales in the 44 weeks to the end of November were up 11.2% from the previous year.

But the sales growth rate in the 18 weeks to November was up by only 1.5%.

The firm has added 183 stores this year and will operate from over 1,340 stores during the Christmas period.

"To date our customers' spending patterns have remained relatively resilient considering the challenges in the wider economy," Game's chairman Peter Lewis said in a statement.

He noted that sales in UK and Ireland stores remained strong in the current climate, increasing by 1.8% over the last 18 weeks.

Games Group trades in popular game consoles such as Sony Playstation, Xbox or Nintendo Wii.