Hoboken GameStop To Close Next Year

HOBOKEN — In a blow to all geeks, nerds, and gamers in general in the Hudson County area, the GameStop store on Washington Street in Hoboken will close at the end of January, store employees said this week. Signs around the store at 408 Washington St. said it was closing and offering discounts on some of the merchandise.

But local Pokemon catchers and Fortnite flossers don’t have to fret too much: the chain has several other franchises in Hudson County, including in Jersey City, North Bergen, and Bayonne. Those stores will remain open as of now, employees said.

Workers at the Hoboken store said on Tuesday and on Wednesday that their location will stay open through the end of next month.

On Sept. 11, various media outlets reported that the chain announced it would close 180 to 200 stores by the end of the year, but did not announce which ones. The company has more than 5,700 stores worldwide, but may close more before 2022, reports said.

Company CFO James Bell was quoted in September as saying, “While these closures were more opportunistic, we are applying a more definitive, analytic approach, including profit levels and sales transferability, that we expect will yield a much larger tranche of closures over the coming 12 to 24 months.”

Bell said 95 percent of the stores are profitable, but the company, which sells consoles, accessories, and action figures, was losing customers to digital downloads and streaming services.