Asda is launching a computer games exchange in 235 stores after successfully trialling the scheme in five branches.

It allows customers to bring in unwanted games and either trade them in against other titles or exchange them for money. The credit from games will not be given as cash, but instead be loaded on an Asda ‘Buy, Play, Trade’ card to be spent in Asda stores.

Asda launched the offer with a promotion offering the new release FIFA 11 for only 97 pence on trade in, but this offer only ran for three days. The company said the promotion netted thousands of pre-owned games that it will resell.

Asda ramped up its games offering last year to take advantage of the gap in the market left by the closure of Woolworths. It hired a raft of staff from rival games retailer Gamestation and the distributer EUK.

Asda category director for music, video and games Fergal Gara said: “Entertainment has always been a key category for Asda, but more recently we’ve set ourselves the target of being the best general retailer in the market. The launch of ‘Buy, Play, Trade’ is one of the key steps towards reaching that goal.”

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