U.K. Retailers Bullish on Holiday 2008

The MCV Retail Survey 2008 today reported that 58 percent of U.K. retailers think their Christmas sales are up year-on-year. 86 percent of respondents from chains like Game, Blockbuster, Gamestation and HMV expressed confidence in their business prospects during 2009. Ubisoft was also named 'Best Games Publisher for Quality and Attitude to Retail' and 56 percent of respondents believe that Call of Duty: World At War would be No.1 in the GFK-ChartTrack All Formats Christmas chart.

"This is great news for anyone who works in the U.K. games industry," said MCV Editor-In-Chief Michael French. "MCV's Retail Survey provides a vital snapshot of what's on the minds of store managers up and down the country – and it's wonderful to know that they're succeeding in amongst all of the doom and gloom currently facing the High Street."

"It appears they have good reason to be optimistic about next year, despite the likely backdrop of even greater economic trouble ahead," he continued. "If games retailers continue to be a beacon of success as other trades struggle, it will offer yet more evidence of the U.K. games industry's growing importance to the British economy."