GameStop to partner with Texas A&M

Grapevine-based retailer GameStop Corp. has launched the GameStop Technology Institute with the Center for Retailing Studies at Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School to help drive traffic to its stores. IBM is joining GameStop as a founding partner.

Texas A&M brings to GTI a focus on retail research and consumer technology to help create new shopping environments. IBM brings it cloud development platform called BlueMix and design expertise from the IBM Design Lab. GameStop will use the IBM platform to build new mobile and cloud applications that work with the company’s existing systems. Steve Robinson, general manager of IBM Cloud Platform Services, said the cloud partnership will build deeper relationships between GameStop and its clients and will help GameStop lead the next phase of retailing by restoring the balance between physical and digital commerce platforms.

GameStop’s Jeff Donaldson will chair the direction and efforts of the institute, serving in the role of senior vice president. “As GameStop continues to transform its business beyond video gaming and into the technology space, we formed GTI to address our growing need for new innovation as a specialty retailer,” Donaldson said in a news release. The institute’s initial focus will be on the digitization of the physical retail space. GameStop operates more than 6,600 stores across 15 countries and is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol GME.

bdillard@bizpress.net