The owner of Irish entertainment retailer Xtra-Vision is thought to be interested in acquiring parts of Game after it collapsed into administration this week.
Sources close to the situation said Xtra-Vision owner Birchall Investments is “sniffing around” the games retailer, along with US giant GameStop, Comet-owner OpCapita and restructuring specialist Hilco.
It is thought that Game’s banks, led by state-backed RBS, are also working on a deal to buy Game in order to claw back its money.
Directors at GameStop are thought to be divided over whether to pursue a Game deal. While it would give it access to the sizeable UK market, it is thought that increasing its bricks-and-mortar presence would be risky while the games market is so flat.
Game appointed PwC as administrator on Monday after which 277 stores across the Game and Gamestation fascias were closed, resulting in 2,104 job losses.
PwC said it is “liaising with a number oåf parties who have expressed an interest in purchasing part or all of the business and assets of the group”.
Game group chief executive Ian Shepherd stood down when PwC was appointed, after a turbulent few weeks that saw it losing supplier support and continuing to suffer in a battered games market.
Xtra-Vision, formerly owned by Blockbuster, sells and rents DVDs, electronics and mobile phones.
Birchall Investments’ ultimate owner Pageant Holdings could not be reached.
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