Berlin, Germany — Germans spent over €845 million on games in the first half of 2012, according to the latest data from German Trade Association of Interactive Entertainment Software (BIU). The slight increase from the first half of last year came from a variety of gaming products, including PC, mobile and online games.

The German gaming market caters to 25 million active gamers and the country is an investment haven for firms from all over the world. Industry experts from Germany Trade & Invest will be at this year’s gamescom from August 15-19 in Cologne to highlight opportunities for international companies in Germany’s gaming industry.

“Germany is home to the largest gaming industry in Europe. Programmers and game developers from across the globe are moving to innovative hotspots throughout the country,” stated Julia Oentrich, gaming industry expert at Germany Trade & Invest in Berlin.

Germany’s gaming workforce is among the world’s most skilled. Roughly 40 public and private universities across the country offer gaming-related concentrations. Highly qualified graduates and international professionals support approximately 275 computer game developers and publishers nationwide.

“The huge market has created seven gaming clusters nationwide and each hub has its strengths. Whereas Berlin is famous for its international start-up culture, Hamburg’s reputation is growing as a gaming city with multinational companies such as Bigpoint and Intenium. The variety of regions makes it easy for companies to find a home in Germany,” continued Oentrich.

Gaming is becoming increasingly popular across a broad demographic. As game segments diversify, so do gamers, who tend to be multi-platform users. The average social gamer in Germany is now a 27 year old female, contrary to industry stereotypes.

Germany Trade & Invest is the foreign trade and inward investment promotion agency of the Federal Republic of Germany. The organization advises foreign companies looking to expand their business activities in the German market. It provides information on foreign trade to German companies that seek to enter foreign markets.

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LONDON, UK – Pop-up shops in some of the capitals trendiest shopping areas can offer jobseekers valuable work experience exposure, says reed.co.uk

As more and more high-street retailers continue to fall victim to higher rental and business costs in London’s most fashionable shopping areas, forcing multiple outlet closures, the number of temporary pop-up shops occupying the vacated space is seemingly on the rise. reed.co.uk, one of the UKs leading job sites, claim these temporary ventures are providing opportunities for jobseekers to gain relevant work experience exposure, especially if they wish to attain future retail or sales jobs in the capital.

Since the turmoil of the economic recession in 2008 heaved financial pressure on retailers, many of the UKs leading high-street brands have had to shut-up-shop in some of London’s most bustling shopping areas. Continual rises in costs have only added to the number of closures, however the vacated space has meant smaller, pop-up shops are now emerging across the capital; giving smaller traders the chance to benefit from higher levels of shopper traffic, even if it is for a limited time only.

With relevant experience highly sought after by prospective-employers, reed.co.uk say jobseekers, aiming to improve their chances of gaining jobs in London are now considering applying for work experience in pop-up shops; especially if, in the past, financial constraints have limited the time available to undertake unpaid placements.

The job site admits that one of the biggest barriers jobseekers face when undertaking work experience placements is financial sustainability- after-all most placements do not offer a wage or any sort of payment for work. However with pop-up shops only trading on a temporary basis (most are only typically open for a month at a time), reed.co.uk claim attaining work experience for such a short period of time is ideal for those unable to commit for greater lengths of time.

“Pop-up shops provide ideal opportunities for jobseekers to gain valued work experience, quickly. Not only can they gain great exposure to the retail industry as a whole, but they can see how smaller businesses can thrive in such a competitive environment,” said a spokesperson for reed.co.uk.

“However it’s not just small clothing retailers taking advantage of higher levels of shopping traffic- as you’d expect. Many restaurant owners, artists and top-brand designers, including Vivienne Westwood and Stella McCartney, have also jumped at the chance to temporarily rent from previously vacated shops, so there are plenty of work experience opportunities in several career sectors.”

With pop-up shop venues set-up across London, most notably in Shoreditch, East London (Box Shoreditch- the world’s first pop-up mall), Carnaby Street and Camden, shop owners have exposure to some of the busiest shopping areas in the world.

Image Courtesy of  Kamira / Shutterstock.com

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