THE futures of another two well-known retailers on Weston’s High Street are under threat.

Video games retailer Game Group, which owns both Game and Gamestation, is struggling after a collapse in shares, while some of its main suppliers are now refusing to do business with the company.

The news, which has led to increased speculation that the firm may be forced to enter administration, has been met with dismay by the shops’ customers.

Earlier this year fellow High Street stores Clarks and Priceless Shoes were forced to close, while other big names like Woolworths, TJ Hughes and Ethel Austin have departed in recent years.

The company, which is up for sale, has found itself unable to stock games from major games producer Electronic Arts, including Mass Effect 3.

Other companies which have withdrawn some of their games from the shops’ shelves are Nintendo and Capcom.

This in turn has sent its share prices crashing down to 1.2p and there are increasing fears it may not be able to pay a quarterly rent bill later this month.

In a statement, the company said: “The board of Game is working actively to resolve these issues as quickly as possible. This includes ongoing discussions with suppliers, seeking access to the original facility or alternative sources of funding, and reviewing the position of all of its assets in the UK.

“It is uncertain whether any of the solutions being explored by the board will be successful or will result in any value being attributed to the shares of the company.”

The news will be a blow to keen gamers in Weston.

Luke White, aged 18, of Selworthy Road on the Bournville estate, said: “Apart from Blockbuster, they are the only places that sell games in Weston.

“They are the only places in town that have such a good range. The supermarkets don’t stock such a wide selection of games.”

Another, 18-year-old, Steven Hellend, of Winchester Road, Burnham, said: “It would be quite bad if they closed, I use both of them quite a lot.

“Gamestation especially is good to get pre-owned games which are cheaper than new ones, so that means it would be much more expensive to get games if they were to close.”