Le SuperClub Vidéotron

Microplay

Microplay is a video game retailer specializing in new and used video game software.^[2] Founder Bill Pearce originally established a shop on Bank Street, Ottawa named Gamer Video in 1981, which rented Atari and Intellivision games; it was one of the first Canadian businesses to rent video game cartridges. Gamer Video was destroyed in a fire in 1983. In 1986, Pearce and childhood friend Mason Copeland opened Microplay in Ottawa. By April 1989, the store had two locations in Ottawa and one in Toronto, and acted as a supplier to 25 Canadian video game stores.^[3] To avoid the high markups charged by Canadian video game distributors, Pearce and Copeland made weekly trips to New York City to buy cartridges for the wholesalers and distributors they supplied.^[4]

Microplay began franchising in June 1993, expanding to 28 stores, and became regarded as Canada's leading video game specialty chain.^[5] Microplay's first United States location opened in Bradenton, Florida in July 1994,^[6] and its first Great Britain location opened on Stratford Road in Shirley in November 1994; the Shirley location was highly successful, beating the four-month sales target of the American and Canadian locations in four weeks.^[7] By January 1995, Microplay was operating 119 franchisees, with 19 in the United States, predominantly in the East Coast.^[2]

Programs offered by Microplay include free rentals for students with A grades, computerized memos with parental limits on the type and number of children's rentals, free video game consoles for hospitals and in-patient medical centers, and monthly video game tournaments.^[8] Microplay attributed its success in the mid-90s to an apparent lack of competition, the popularity of video games, and the retailer's customer-friendly concept.^[2] New franchise owners invested an average of US$140,000 to outfit and stock their stores, along with a US$29,500 franchise fee;^[9] in Great Britain, each store cost between £40,000-60,000 to outfit and stock depending on the location.^[10]

In September 1995, Minneapolis-based Jumpin' Jax Corp., an operator of children's indoor entertainment centres, expressed interest in acquiring Microplay.^[11] On January 4, 1996, Thornhill, Ontario-based Tevana Traders Corp. signed a letter of intent to purchase Microplay for an undisclosed amount, planning to change its name to Microplay Capital Corp. following the acquisition.^[12] The retailer suffered poor management from a number of owners, and it was reduced to 85 locations by 2000.^[13] The company was acquired by Toronto-based game distributor Hip Interactive Corp. in December 1999 as part of a string of purchases in the gaming retail industry. On October 19, 2000, Microplay announced a relocation of its head office to the United States and an expansion of 22 stores, primarily in Quebec and North Carolina.^[14] By 2002, the retailer's ownership had shifted to Jumbo Entertainment,^[15] which in turn was sold to Québecor Média's Le SuperClub Vidéotron in 2004.^[16]