as featured in business in focus

AS FEATURED IN BUSINESS IN FOCUS
FOCUS ON: GAMETRADERS
Written By D. Barratt
“Necessity is the mother of invention” is a phrase one is likely to
hear when discussing his business,
Gametraders, with Mark Langford.
It is his philosophy of adaptation
which has helped Gametraders
become one of the fastest growing, and most brilliantly successful
game retailers in Australia’s multibillion dollar retail game industry,
and most importantly, the only
Australian owned gaming-related
franchise in the country.
Although many know the company for its more than 30
retail locations, Gametraders evolved from a single retail
operation called Leisure Land, founded in 1998 in Blackwood, South Australia on the fringe of the Adelaide Hills.
Although many know the company
for its more than 30 retail locations, Gametraders evolved from
a single retail operation called
Leisure Land, founded in 1998 in
Blackwood, South Australia on the
fringe of the Adelaide Hills. Leisure
Land catered to local hobbyists
and gaming enthusiasts, stocking
everything from computer games
to kites and collectable trading
card games. It very quickly became
a popular gathering spot for Warhammer players, but the focus
soon shifted to Pokemon cards as
interest in the trading card game
swept across Australia.
“It wasn’t long before
he saw the value of
his new business
and recognised
the opportunity to
franchise his stores
across all of the
country.”
Mark noticed many customers
trading cards amongst each other,
and he identified the sale of used
trading cards as a potentially lucrative business focus and service that
he could provide for his customers, which he did to great success.
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He noticed that instead of buying
many “booster” packs of cards, his
customers were happy to purchase
his individually sold cards instead.
This practice of buying, selling and
trading used cards inspired him to
begin buying and selling used computer games as interest in the collectable trading card game dwindled, a practice which continues in
his retail locations to this day.
“It gave me the idea of trying the
same concept with second-hand
computer games,” he says. This
model soon became his primary
focus as he reacted to the changing industry environment – an early
example of Mark’s ability to adapt
and innovate as necessity demands
it. His decision to expand into the
Metropolitan area and to rebrand
his business as Gametraders led to
even greater success. “The Gametraders idea,” he says, “took off
very quickly.”
“I knew within three months that the
business concept could be franchised,”
he says. It wasn’t long before he saw
the value of his new business and recognised the opportunity to franchise
his stores across all of the country.
The ability to trade their used
games and purchase new titles
enabled many of Mark’s customers to experience titles that they
might not have otherwise had the
opportunity to try. Not only were
his younger customers delighted
by this concept, but their parents
were equally enthusiastic, as trading titles encouraged kids to clean
their rooms to find their old games,
and also saved parents money.
“I’ve always said Mums and their
kids are the reason we’re here
today; they’re the most supportive of the concept.” It was in fact
one chance discussion with the
mother of a young customer that
helped spread the word of Gametraders across the region. “One
of the mums was a journalist for
the Adelaide Advertiser and loved
the concept. She decided to write
an article about the company for
the paper’s business section.” It
wasn’t long before Mark’s phone
began to ring as potential franchisees saw their own opportunity to enter the games market for
themselves. He quickly had three
new franchise stores.
The company experienced its most
rapid growth so far between 2001
and 2007 when it opened more
than 25 retail locations; it was recognised two years in a row as one
of Australia’s 100 fastest growing
companies. The firm was also recognised as one of the 50 fastest
growing franchises from 2006 to
2010. The branding of Gametraders evolved during this period as
well, moving from the black and
yellow motif towards the sleeker
and more modern look the company now sports.
As apt as his business model was,
Gametraders would not be what it
is today if not for Mark Langford’s
personal business philosophy and
commitment to his four core values which have become the guiding principles of his business: these
include openness, a welcoming attitude towards new ideas; passion,
in relation to customer service and
the products being sold; innovation, the ability to evolve with the
changing demands of the market;
and approachability, particularly
important when interacting with
customers. The formula has prov-
AS FEATURED IN BUSINESS IN FOCUS
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FOCUS ON: GAMETRADERS
en a successful one: “The people just love the atmosphere of our stores,” says Mark. “They have become
good ambassadors for our business.”
It is this set of core principles which has allowed
Gametraders to compete, and succeed, in an industry where giant retail corporations sell games near
cost. Mark’s customers, in contrast, are treated
to an experience that cannot be had at larger retail locations. They experience a comfortable retail
environment that encourages involvement and interaction, and relatable staff that understand the
needs of their customers.
“At one event we had to bring in
crowd control because people
love them so much.
This type of event is also another
point of difference that really
sets us apart.”
Understanding his market is one of Mark’s greatest
strengths as an entrepreneur, as evidenced by his customers’ appreciation of the relaxed, friendly space he
offers them. This keen understanding can also be seen
in the smaller details, such as new store openings,
which are always graced by the presence of Storm
Troopers, made famous by George Lucas’ Star Wars
films. “The Storm Troopers love dressing up, and like
to get out and be seen. We’ve had a seven year association with them.” The troopers make each appearance
in the name of charity, and money is donated after each
event that they attend. “At one event we had to bring
in crowd control because people love them so much.
This type of event is also another point of difference
that really sets us apart.”
Due to his great relationships with over 30 suppliers, Mark
is able to offer an amazing selection of games and merchandise at a highly competitive price, sometimes even
offering games that are unavailable in larger retail spots.
“Our supplier relationships are very important to us; we
have an outstanding relationship with our suppliers.”
One is not able to consider the success of the Gametraders’ model without considering its ability to innovate
and adapt in the ever-shifting gaming industry. Mark’s
excellent relationships with his suppliers has also allowed him to venture out from the territory of new and
used games, into the much broader spectrum of gaming
and popular culture related merchandise. His company
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GAMETRADERS
is now able to offer a wide selection of clothing items,
posters, and other merchandise that has attracted the
attention of an even greater market. Representatives
of the company travel the world looking for the latest
and greatest items to offer their customers, even visiting conventions in New York City to peruse the up and
coming merchandise and selecting the most interesting items to offer on their shelves. “We’ve evolved now
where most of our business is new games, accessories
and pop-culture products,” but he stresses that the original trading aspect of the business is still very important,
and is an important “point of difference” which helps
the firm succeed in this competitive industry.
game, titled “Mogo the Monkey” for the iphone and
iPad, has already achieved over 100,000 downloads
at the time of writing and has won several awards,
including Best Adventure Game. “For our first game,
it’s been very successful. We had 30,000 downloads
in one weekend,” boasts Mark. The company has
also produced an application which allows users to
track their game libraries, even tracing games they
have loaned to friends so that they can be sure to get
them back. The company’s creativity in the applications market is astounding, and the field represents
one in which Gametraders expects to see dramatic
growth in the coming years.
Ever the innovator, Mark continues to grow his company’s success as it expands further into online space;
at the time of writing, the company is unveiling its new
e-commerce space, which he expects will help raise
Gametraders’ profile in the online consciousness of
Australia and the world, and will ultimately push Gametraders to become one of the first results that search
engines return upon users’ queries of ‘used games’ or
‘console gaming.’ “We probably have about 50,000
hits per day,” says Mark. “We’re about to launch our
new site which has been heavily optimised for search
engines, and customers will be able to purchase games
online in all parts of Australia.” At the time of publishing, Gametraders’ new site will be live. “We’re very happy with the new site.”
Furthermore, Gametraders’ large community of
fans, in the retail space as well as on the company’s
forums, allows the firm the ability to market not
only its own games, but games produced by other
companies that could greatly benefit by having
access to Gametraders’ preexisting market database. So far Gametraders has published four games
under the Dice Sports brand.
An interesting new direction for the company is its
growth into the online application market; its first
Mark Langford is an excellent example of entrepreneurial success and a model of how drive and adaptability can help to create something great. “You must
find a way to make it happen, to succeed. It’s a wild
ride!” Gametraders has been built upon the sturdy
foundation of its founder’s own core values, and has
crafted a retail space that is inviting and comfortable
for its customers and competitive within the gaming
merchandise market.
AS FEATURED IN BUSINESS IN FOCUS
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GAMETRADERS
www.gametraders.com.au
675 Victoria Street | Abbotsford VIC 3067
Phone: 02 8412 8119 | ABN 93 143 238 126