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GAME has confirmed it plans to shut 40 stores throughout the UK.

Some 13 sites have already had notice served on them - including branches in Mansfield, Canterbury, Watford, Glasgow Fort and Leicester.

Yesterday another 14 locations joined them - including sites in Derby, Norwich Chapelfield, Lakeside, Bexleyheath and Carmarthen.

GAME intends to serve notice on 13 more sites in the near future.

A GAME spokesperson said: “We are working closely with landlords throughout the UK to ensure that we do not have to vacate the 40 locations which could lead to a number of job losses.

"However, we are facing a challenging retail market and GAME with its extensive retail footprint, needs to restructure and landlords need to work with us in setting realistic, fair rents.”

So far there is no word from GAME on how many jobs will be impacted by the move. Before the planned closures, GAME had a total of 540 stores across the UK and Spain.

At its most recent results GAME said its sales were broadly stable, while profits rose to hit £25.8 million.

But last year Mike Ashley's Sports Direct took control of the chain and warned it could struggle on its own.

"We believed and still believe that as a standalone business, GAME would struggle to weather the pressures that it is facing in its sector," Ashely said in December.

But that doesn't mean cuts everywhere.

"We are stepping up the roll out of BELONG eSports arenas now that Game is part of the Group and anticipate opening up to 10 of these during FY20," Ashley added.

"We continue to believe that BELONG, when looked at against typical retail metrics and in an area where competition is starting to emerge, is not a significant profit-driver on its own. It can only be a viable business proposition as part of the wider group where BELONG can be combined with a focus on experiential retail creating a halo effect within stores and other physical locations."

GAME is the first major retailer to announce plans for store closures this year, following a 2019 that saw everyone from Sainsbury's to Debenhams, M&S and Topshop announce they were reducing the number of branches.

Even sectors that had previously looked safe fell, with 700 William Hill branches put at risk by new gambling laws.

Other chains went out of business entirely, with Select, Mothercare and Thomas Cook ceasing trading in the UK.