Play N Trade

Play N Trade Franchise Inc., doing business as Play N Trade, was an American franchisor operating in the video game and consumer electronics space, with an emphasis on video gaming lifestyle. The company, whose headquarters were in San Clemente, California, United States, operated stores throughout the United States, Canada, Panama and Egypt. Play N Trade was referred to as "the fastest-growing video game retail franchise" in the United States,^[1] and was at one point the second-largest specialty video game retail in the United States.^[2] As of January 10, 2013, Play N Trade operated 116 franchised locations globally.

Play N Trade Franchise Inc.

Company type	Franchise
Industry	Electronics stores
Founded	2000
Defunct	2014 (2014)
Headquarters	San Clemente, California , U.S.
Number of locations	116
Area served	Northern America, Egypt, Panama, Colombia
Key people	Ron Simpson (Founder)
Products	Video games and consoles and Consumer electronics
Services	Buy sell trade video games, consoles and consumer electronics
Revenue	$25 million USD (2012)
Owner	Jared Turner, Ron Simpson

Play N Trade stores sold new and used consumer electronics, including video games and consoles, Apple products, laptops, and cellular phones, and accept trade-ins of the same. Services included video game rental, parties, tournaments, events, and gaming device repairs.

Play N Trade filed for bankruptcy protection on March 2, 2014.^[3] As of 2024, some locations continue to operate as independent retailers.

History

Play N Trade was founded in 2000 by (now retired) founder Ron Simpson of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The current leadership team includes executives from the automotive industry, Walt Disney Imagineering, as well as several tech entrepreneurs in the wireless industry. In Phoenix, many stores of Play N Trade have either been moved or shutdown.

In 2007, Play N Trade was ranked in the Franchise 500 and New Franchise 50 by Entrepreneur Magazine and had doubling its nationwide stores in 2006.^[4][5] Entrepreneur Magazine also named Play N Trade one of the top ten new franchises for 2008.^[6]

The State of California fined Play N Trade $132,500 for violating the state's franchising laws in 2009.^[7]

Play N Trade Franchise Inc. filed for bankruptcy on March 2, 2014, and was dissolved.^[3]

References

1. "Jim Belanger Named Senior Vice President of Franchise Development for Yakety Yak and Play N Trade". Business Wire. 2007-01-31. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-02-11.
2. "Company". Play N Trade. 2012. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
3. "Play N Trade Franchise Inc Bankruptcy (8:14-bk-11305), California Central Bankruptcy Court". www.pacermonitor.com. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
4. "Play N Trade Franchise Inc". Entrepreneur.com. 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-11.
5. "2007 Top New Franchises Rankings". Entrepreneur.com. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-02-05. Retrieved 2007-02-11.
6. "Play N Trade Makes Top 10 New Franchises List for 2008 as Ranked by Entrepreneur Magazine" (PDF). Forbes.com (Press release). 2007-12-18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2008-01-01.
7. Cordell, Martin; Forseth, Mark; Schnell, Brian (2011-10-19). "The Ultimate Remedy: Managing Regulatory Enforcement Acts" (PDF). American Bar Association 34th Annual Forum on Franchising: 10.