Funko Pop! Retailer GameStop Moves To Sell French And Canadian Operations, CEO Slams Both Countries Over Their Support Of “Wokeness And DEI”
Due to company CEO Ryan Cohen’s apparent issues with each respective nation’s embrace of “wokeness”, noted Funko Pop! and occasional video game retailer GameStop has announced that they will soon be looking to sell off the entirety of their France and Canada-based business arms.
Breaking the news on February 18th via an exceedingly brief press release posted to their official website, the company informed investors that “as part of its evaluation of its international assets, the Company intends to pursue a sale of its operations in France and Canada.”
In Canada, GameStop currently operates roughly 203 stores under its official brand name. Meanwhile, the company does business in France via the Micromania retail chain, which they fully acquired in 2008.
Unfortunately, GameStop corporate did not provide any further explanation as to why they chose to abruptly sell these two particular assets. However, some seeming insight into the decision was later provided by CEO Ryan Cohen.
Taking to his personal Twitter account shortly after the news went public, Cohen declared, “Email M&[email protected] if you’re interested in buying GameStop Canada or Micromania France. High taxes, Liberalism, Socialism, Progressivism, Wokeness and DEI included at no additional cost if you buy today!”
Though the CEO did not specify exactly which entity – between Canada, France, Micromania, GameStop, or otherwise – his criticisms were aimed at, given the United States’ current post-Trump re-election turn to ‘rejecting wokeness’ and the fact that he is not selling off the entire corporation, speculation currently suggests that he has some issue with the regulatory and cultural standards of the French and Canadian governments.
While many who share Cohen’s thinking may be understandably ready to throw their support behind the sale, interested buyers should beware that GameStop as a business, perhaps now more than ever, is not in the best spot.
Even in spite of its slow, identity-shredding transformation from a video game-specific store to the resident hot spot for Funko Pop! collectors world wide, the company has been slowly forced to shutter more and more physical stores every year, with 2024 even seeing them choose to completely shutter their German retail operations.
All in all, what lies in store for GameStop’s future remains to be seen.
In the meantime, players in France and Canada should prepare to possibly hit some ‘going out of business’ sales in the near future.
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