JOHANNESBURG - Game’s footprint in South Africa is shrinking, while Walmart’s presence is rapidly expanding.
Massmart is considering shutting down 20 Game stores across Gauteng, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The plan is to redevelop those sites into new Walmart outlets.
Game has been under pressure for over a decade, squeezed by rising competition and weak economics.
Walmart, which first bought a 51% stake in Massmart in 2011, took full control of the group in late 2022.
Its South African ambitions became clearer in November 2025, when Walmart opened its first branded stores at Clearwater Mall in Roodepoort and Fourways Mall
Both outlets replaced Game, signalling how Massmart planned to repurpose struggling Game sites as part of a larger rollout.
Massmart says further details of its long South African strategy will be announced in the second quarter of 2026.