Shoppers in Boksburg are showing where they prefer to spend their money. New results show that the Walmart store at East Point Shopping Centre is selling more than the Game store that used to trade in the same spot. The numbers are early, but the message is easy to read, and it adds to the pressure on game stores across the country.
The details come from SA Corporate Real Estate, the company that owns the centre. It shared them in its results for the six months to the end of June. Walmart opened at East Point at the end of February 2026 and started trading in March. Over its first four months, the store recorded a trading density 28.7% higher than Game.
What trading density actually tells us
Trading density is a simple way to measure a shop. It shows how much a store sells for every square metre of floor space. That makes it an easy way to compare two stores of different sizes.
In this case, the comparison is even simpler. Walmart took over the very site that Game left behind. The centre is the same, the location is the same and the shoppers are the same. Only the store has changed.
SA Corporate Real Estate did not hold back. It said Walmart had already outperformed the Game store it replaced. That is a bold claim for a shop that had only been open a few months when the results came out.
It helps to read the figure carefully. The company’s results cover six months, but Walmart only traded for four of them. Also, sales per square metre is not the same as profit. The figures shared did not include rand amounts.
Walmart’s third store in South Africa
The Boksburg branch is the third Walmart in the country. The first two opened in November 2025, at Clearwater Mall in Roodepoort and Fourways Mall in Johannesburg. All three stores sit in former Game sites, so the pattern is simple to spot.
Massmart, the South African arm of Walmart, said the Boksburg opening formed part of a faster rollout. It said customers had responded well to the first two stores. It also said shoppers have embraced the Every Day Low Price approach.
The company said the local community backed the launch and that the store created 80 jobs. André Steyn, Massmart’s vice president of format acceleration, said he was encouraged by the turnout. He thanked the families who came along and described the opening as a fun, welcoming day out.
What comes next for Walmart
Massmart earlier proposed another 21 Walmart stores across Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal and the Western Cape. However, it has not said when or where those stores will open. That leaves the pace of the rollout uncertain.
Some possible conversions have been identified in Gauteng and the Western Cape. Even so, Massmart has not made every future Walmart location public. Anyone hoping for an easy answer about which of the game stores will change next will need to wait.
Why game stores are shrinking
At the end of January 2026, Game had 99 stores in South Africa. That was the first time in more than 15 years that the chain had fewer than 100 outlets.
A further 21 stores have been flagged for possible closure or conversion. A conversion simply means the Game shop closes and the space reopens under another banner. If every one of those stores were closed or converted, about 78 Game stores would remain.
Massmart says this does not mean the end of Game in South Africa. In February, it said it was considering closing around 20 stores, while continuing to invest in the rest of the Game business.
Some of the stores in question are in KwaZulu Natal. They include branches in Amanzimtoti, Ballito, Richards Bay, Pietermaritzburg and The Pavilion.
Here is a simple summary of the key numbers, which makes the story easy to follow.
| Detail | What we know |
|---|---|
| Game stores at end of January 2026 | 99 |
| Stores flagged for closure or conversion | 21 |
| Game stores left if all are changed | About 78 |
| Walmart stores open in South Africa | 3 |
| Further Walmart stores proposed | 21 |
| Jobs created at the Boksburg store | 80 |
What happened to the Makro plan
Walmart was not Massmart’s first idea for these spaces. In 2024, the company announced a plan to test small format Makro stores in selected Game locations. That idea has received very little public attention since. Walmart conversions are what the company is talking about now.
A new look for East Point
The landlord is also adjusting. SA Corporate Real Estate said Walmart’s arrival has created a chance to improve the mix of tenants at East Point. Management is pursuing an upmarket coffee offering, more children’s entertainment and athleisure brands that sit well beside Walmart.
For shoppers, that could mean a simple day out with more to do under one roof. These are plans, though, not confirmed openings.
What shoppers should keep in mind
The report does not explain why customers are choosing Walmart. The Every Day Low Price message may play a part, but that is not confirmed. It is easy to jump to conclusions from one set of results. A single store over four months also cannot speak for the whole country.
If one of your local game stores is on the list, the simple thing to do is ask staff what is happening. Keep your slips and use any vouchers or gift cards sooner rather than later. If you ever have a problem with a store, the National Consumer Commission handles consumer complaints, and it is an easy place to start. For the wider retail picture, Statistics South Africa publishes retail trade data.
The bottom line
Game is not gone. Massmart says it will keep investing in the stores that remain. But the early East Point numbers give Walmart a strong start, and more Walmart stores have been proposed.
We will know more once Massmart shares dates and locations for the next stores. Until then, the picture is simple: one Game store has made way for Walmart, and the Walmart is selling more.
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