International
EB began its international expansion with the opening of three stores in Toronto in 1993. The Canadian division is the largest of the international divisions with 300+ stores as of May 2008.
In 1995, the company expanded to the UK with the purchase of financially troubled British game retailer Rhino Group. The name of the chain was changed from Future Zone to "Electronics Boutique" to match the new owner. Store remodels, product mix changes and used video games combined to restore the chain's finances.
Electronics Boutique commenced operations in Australia in 1997 and rapidly became the number one video game specialty retailer in the country and the only one with a nationwide footprint.
Although the EB-GAME "merger" created a company separate from the US parent, EB retained a 24% ownership stake in the merged chain for a period of time and, under the merger agreement, collected substantial management fees from it until 2004, when the companies agreed to sever the remainder of their ties with a one time settlement. The GAME brand replaced the EB name at all former EB stores in the UK and Ireland. The new company was the biggest video game retailer in the United Kingdom. However, GameStop is once again operating in Ireland under the GameStop brand.
On May 23, 2005, EB Games announced a definitive agreement to acquire Jump, a retailer based in Valencia, Spain that sells PCs and other consumer electronics. EB Games plans to begin introducing video game hardware and software into Jump's 141 stores over the next several months. The acquisition provides EB Games entry into the Spanish marketplace and continues EB Games's aggressive international expansion.
EB Games once had a retail presence in South Korea.
On June 22, 2008, reports surfaced that EB Games in New Zealand would acquire The Gamesman - New Zealand's largest independently owned and operated specialised gaming store. All Gamesman stores are to be rebranded as Games stores, leaving no multi-centre specialist gaming stores in New Zealand.
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