GameStop Corp., a multichannel retailer of computer games and hardware, has launched a web site targeting gamers in the United Kingdom. GameStop.com.uk will offer gaming hardware, software, accessories and pre-owned games, as well as a full range of digital content and services.

To mark the launch of the U.K. online store, GameStop, No. 113 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, offered special deals on a number of popular items on a first-come, first-served basis. “GameStop’s entry into the U.K. online market will provide consumers with more choices and exclusive content that they can’t find anywhere else,” says Mike Mauler, executive vice president of GameStop International.

GameStop also operates e-commerce sites in the U.S., Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland and France.

At the same time as the retailer is setting up a digital shop in the U.K., GameStop also recently began accepting new types of payment, including trade-in credits and GameStop gift cards, which consumers can use to purchase computer games at their local stores and access titles immediately after they are offered online. The retailer instituted the new payment policy with the launch of the game Deus Ex: Human Revolution. 

In addition to immediate access to the game at launch, customers who pre-purchase the digital PC version of Deus Ex will receive special bonuses, including double points for GameStop PowerUp Rewards and entry into a sweepstakes.

“This is a great illustration of how the digital distribution model and in-store experience really complement one another,” says Steve Nix, GameStop’s general manager of digital distribution. “We have seen great success selling downloadable content for console titles in our stores, so expanding on that model and helping customers discover digitally distributed PC games in stores is a natural fit.”