<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[GameUP24]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[https://gameup24.wordpress.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[William A.]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://gameup24.wordpress.com/author/louzwate/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[&#8220;GameStop Holiday Sales Were Down, But It&#8217;s Not All Bad News&nbsp;Today]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<div><img src='https://static.gamespot.com/uploads/screen_medium/1585/15855271/3489108-3211238-2597963-gamestopstore.jpg' style='max-width:600px;' /></p>
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<p>GameStop reported its sales results for the 2018 holiday season, which showed the company suffering decreases to many of its top revenue generators. Hardware, software, and pre-owned sales all decreased in the 2018 season, whereas accessories and digital currency grew.</p>
<p>The total global sales for holiday 2018 were $2.63 billion, which was a 5% decrease compared to the 2017 holiday period. But that compares the nine weeks ending January 5, 2019 to the nine weeks ending December 30, 2017, which the store notes isn&#8217;t a comparable sales period. By shifting the sales periods to end on January 5 and January 6, respectively, total store sales increased 1.5%. That includes a 3.6% increase in the US that helped offset a 3.1% decrease internationally.</p>
<p>The company also broke down several types of revenue for comparison. New hardware sales were down 6.1%, due to the Xbox One X launch in 2017. It says this was partially offset by the growth in Nintendo Switch sales. New software decreased 8.3%, due mostly to <a href="https://www.gamespot.com/call-of-duty-black-ops-4/">Black Ops 4</a> launching outside of the holiday window in October 2018, versus <a href="https://www.gamespot.com/call-of-duty-wwii/">Call of Duty WW2</a> in November 2017. Its pre-owned sales declined 16.4%. Technology brands sales were not included in the comparable store sale measure, but decreased 19.3% due to a decrease in store traffic.</p>
<p>Some revenue streams did grow, however. Accessories grew 28.7% based on controller and headset sales, whereas collectibles increased 3.7%, and digital receipts (such as digital currency) increased 16.8%.</p>
<p>Despite the mixed news, GameStop sales were up today, rising 1.01% to $15.93. At one point it even hit its highest figures since September. This all comes amid reports that <a href="https://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamestop-sale-to-another-company-could-be-announce/1100-6464273/">GameStop could be up for sale itself</a>, as two private equity companies seem interested in the purchase. That deal may reportedly be finalized by mid-February.</p>
<p><em>Source: <a style="text-decoration:none;" href="https://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamestop-holiday-sales-were-down-but-its-not-all-b/1100-6464500/">GameSpot</a></em></div>
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