Game shutting down stores in South Africa
Massmart is considering closing 20 Game stores in Gauteng, the Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal, to potentially redevelop the sites into new Walmart stores.
MyBroadband first learnt of the potential closures via a KwaZulu-Natal business owner, who received a job application from an employee facing potential retrenchment at one of the targeted stores.
The employee said that five stores in the province were set to be shut down — Amanzimtoti, Ballito, Richards Bay, Pietermaritzburg, and The Pavilion — as well as numerous other stores across the country.
Another staff member at one of the affected stores said that 21 stores were earmarked for potential shutdown in the next few months.
Massmart management advised employees that some Game stores will be converted to Walmarts, with staff transferred accordingly.
The company subsequently confirmed to MyBroadband that it was considering the closure of “around” 20 stores, subject to engagement with the potentially affected Game employees.
Massmart said the stores represented a small part of its total Game store portfolio, which consists of 122 sites in South Africa.
Game has been operating in KwaZulu-Natal for over five decades, starting with its first-ever store on Smith Street in the city centre in 1970.
Its co-founders, Alan Hellman and Jack Schaffer, aimed to replicate the US department store model, centred on a fun, brightly lit shopping experience with products for the entire family.
The retailer also stood out for being the fastest to market with new products, at a time when global supply chains were not nearly as well established as today, and the Internet was still only an idea.
Game went through several companies’ hands before being acquired by Massmart for R755 million in 1998. That is about R3.3 billion in today’s money.
By 2020, the retailer had 150 stores in 12 African countries. However, it has long struggled to remain relevant amid the growing popularity of e-commerce.
Many of its key products, like TVs, home appliances, and consumer electronics, are among the most popular items for online shoppers.
Walmart replacing Game?
In 2021, Game was to blame for nearly 47% — R1.03 billion — of the company’s R2.2 billion net loss. That came on the back of losses in two previous years.
Massmart launched a turnaround effort to improve the state of its Game business. In a 2022 interview, Massmart CEO Mitch Slape warned that Walmart’s patience with Game was wearing thin.
Since Walmart delisted Massmart after acquiring the entire company in 2022, it has not been possible to gauge Game’s performance.
However, the fact that Massmart has already closed at least 13 of Game’s worst-performing stores since late 2022 is a clear red flag. Among the stores confirmed to have closed are:
- Game Bel-Air in Northriding, Gauteng
- Game in Boksburg, Gauteng
- Game CBD in Cape Town, Western Cape
- Game Clearwater Mall, Gauteng
- Game Gilwell in East London, Eastern Cape
- Game Greenstone in Modderfontein, Gauteng
- Game Fourways Mall, Gauteng
- Game Hazyview in Mpumalanga
- Game Mall of the South in Johannesburg South, Gauteng
- Game Ulundi in KwaZulu-Natal
- Game Westwood Mall in Westville, KwaZulu-Natal
Despite replacing two of the shuttered Game stores with its first two Walmart stores at Clearwater Mall and Fourways Mall in November 2025, Massmart has maintained that it will not close the Game business.
“We continue to invest in the future growth of Game, including through the rollout of our pantry merchandise proposition, which is enjoying high demand from Game customers,” the retailer said.
Massmart said the early conversion strategy was only so that it could “move at speed” with its Walmart rollout, and that it would also launch Walmart stores at completely new sites.
The third Walmart store is set to open in Boksburg. While its precise location must still be revealed, the retailer has one closed Game store at the East Gate Shopping Centre.
Massmart plans to reveal more details about its future strategy for Walmart in South Africa in the second quarter of 2026.
“The intention is to increase our provincial representation, but we would prefer not to signal our specific intent to competitors at this time,” it said in January 2026.
The retailer told MyBroadband it has observed incredibly high levels of continuing interest in Walmart stores, which it attributed to its competitive prices and brand strength.
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