South Africans are saying goodbye to Game stores
South Africans are saying goodbye to Game stores with their wallets as they shift their focus towards the Walmart-branded stores.
This was revealed after the opening of Walmart at the East Point Shopping Centre at the end of February 2026.
SA Corporate Real Estate, which owns the shopping centre, said Walmart achieved a trading density 28.7% higher than Game over its first four months of trading.
SA Corporate Real Estate disclosed the performance in its results for the six months to the end of June.
“Walmart commenced trading at East Point in March 2026 and has already outperformed the Game store it replaced,” the company said. Trading density measures sales generated per square metre of retail space.
This makes the comparison between the two stores very relevant, as the Walmart outlet is operating in the same shopping centre and location previously occupied by Game.
The Boksburg store is Walmart’s third South African outlet, following the opening of stores at Clearwater Mall in Roodepoort and Fourways Mall in Johannesburg in November 2025. All three stores occupy former Game sites.
Massmart, Walmart’s South African subsidiary, said the Boksburg opening formed part of an accelerated rollout after strong customer response to the first two stores.
“The Boksburg opening builds on the strong momentum from successful launches in Clearwater and Fourways, where customers have also enthusiastically embraced Walmart’s Every Day Low Price philosophy,” Massmart said.
The company had initially proposed another 21 Walmart stores across Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.
However, Massmart had not provided further details on when or where the next stores would open, leaving the pace of the rollout uncertain.
The performance of the East Point store nevertheless provides an early indication of what the retailer hopes to achieve by converting some existing Game locations into Walmart stores.
When Walmart launched in Boksburg, Massmart said the opening had been well supported by the local community and created 80 jobs.
The number of Game stores has declined in South Africa
André Steyn, Massmart’s vice-president of format acceleration, said the company was encouraged by the turnout.
“We’re grateful to have seen so many families come out to join us to experience this opening,” Steyn said.
“We can’t think of anything else that’s so suited to a great day out for them than that fun, welcoming and exciting energy of a Walmart store opening.”
The change has also prompted East Point’s landlord to consider how the shopping centre can adapt around the new anchor tenant.
“Walmart’s introduction has also created opportunities to further enhance the tenant mix,” SA Corporate Real Estate said.
“Management is pursuing an upmarket coffee offering, as well as additional children’s entertainment and complementary athleisure brands.”
The Walmart rollout comes as Game’s South African footprint continues to contract. The chain had 99 stores in South Africa at the end of January 2026, its first time below 100 stores in more than 15 years.
A further 21 stores were identified for potential closure or conversion, which would leave about 78 Game stores if all were converted or closed.
Massmart has stressed that this does not mean the end of Game in South Africa. In February, it said it was considering closing “around” 20 stores while continuing to invest in the remaining Game business.
The affected stores included branches in Amanzimtoti, Ballito, Richards Bay, Pietermaritzburg and The Pavilion in KwaZulu-Natal.
Potential conversions have also been identified across Gauteng and the Western Cape, although Massmart has not publicly confirmed every future Walmart location.
The strategy also marks a change from an earlier proposal to test small-format Makro stores in selected Game locations. That plan was announced in 2024 but has since received little public attention.
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