At the beginning of October tabletop game retail chain Good Games announced the purchase of Infinity Games in Adelaide. This is the first Good Games store in South Australia, and now truly makes the retailer an Australia wide company with a store in every state.
I caught up with the Brand Manager of Good Games, Jaime Lawrence, and ask him about the acquisition, as well as what this means for Good Games as a whole.
ML: Why did Good Games decide to buy Infinity Games, an existing store, rather than open a brand new one?
JL: We’ve put together the biggest and best brand of retail game stores in the country. We have a proven model and offer a support network like no other – but we’re not interested in putting anyone out of business by opening up next door to them. Infinity has been serving Adelaide for 15 years – that team knows their community, their job and how to do it. Having them as a part of our brand is mutually beneficial and means they can serve the people of Adelaide even better than they could before.
ML: South Australia was one of the last states in Australia not to have a Good Games store presence. Even the US saw two Good Games stores opened before SA. Why has it taken this long for Good Games to enter South Australia?
JL: The majority of our growth over the years has come from people seeing our stores and coming to us, asking to franchise in their own states and towns. I was one of those people until April this year, when I sold my store in Hurstville, NSW back to Head Office and took a job with them as the Brand Manager. I set myself a few tasks for this year and one of the top priorities was a store in South Australia. I visited Adelaide back in May and looked at a few stores, had a few conversations and now, we’re there – Good Games is in every state in the country.
ML: As you see it, what benefits and challenges does South Australia present to Good Games? How are you addressing these?
JL: As I said, the team at Infinity know their job, but we’ve been able to bolster their stock lines significantly. I believe that there’s an untapped market in Adelaide of young professionals with growing families, so one of our challenges will be connecting with those people. The obvious benefit is that we can now say honestly that we are Australia’s greatest gaming venues, because we’re finally in all corners of the country.
ML: Will being under the Good Games banner change the store at all? For example will the store shift focus in a particular direction, like becoming more of a board game retailer than it was previously?
JL: We’re also working on reorganising the store to make it friendlier to new gamers and family shoppers, which hasn’t traditionally been their clientele. Adelaide has a reputation as being a state of older people, a stereotype that is easily dismissed when you talk to people there. It’s actually vibrant, cultured and has a strong demographic of young families – the same demographic that has made gaming mainstream in recent years. We want to introduce those people to our brand and Infinity is our frontline.
ML: Are there plans for Good Games to become more involved in the South Australian tabletop scene? For example, by supporting existing local events, or holding your own.
JL: Wherever Good Games stores are, there’s a supported community. We’re always open to helping out our locals and their gaming projects – if you’re organising something, come in and chat to the staff.
ML: What can South Australia hope to see from Good Games in the future?
JL: It’s a big state for just one store… But in the short term, expect service, quality and community. We want to give you the best store and the best playspace your state has ever seen.
You can see what is happening at Good Games Adelaide on their Facebook page.
